Prophecy of Awakenings
by Gohan Strife
Summary: Raven knows of the prophecy in which she will be used as a portal to bring her father's soul back into her own realm. But what if there was more to the prophecy? What if she was more than just a portal? [Shoujoai, Chapters Revised]
1. Prologue: The Prophecy I

**Fate:  
** 1.  
a. The supposed force, principle, or power that predetermines events.  
b. The inevitable events predestined by this force  
2. A final result or consequence; an outcome  
3. Unfavorable destiny; doom.  
4. **Fates** _Greek &Roman Mythology_. The three goddesses, Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos, who control human destiny. Used with _the_.

**Destiny:  
** 1. The inevitable or necessary fate to which a particular person or thing is destined; one's lot.  
2. A predetermined course of events considered as something beyond human power or control.  
3. The power or agency thought to predetermine events: _Destiny brought them together_.

**True:  
** 1. In accord with reality, fact, or truthfulness  
2. Unswervingly; exactly: _The archer aimed true_.  
3. So as to conform to a type, standard, or pattern.  
4. To position (something) so as to make it balanced, level, or square.  
5. Truth or reality. Used with _the_.  
6. Proper alignment or adjustment.

**Awakening:  
** 1. To cease to sleep; become awake.  
2. To stay awake.  
3. To be brought into a state of awareness or alertness.  
4. To stir, as from a dormant or inactive condition.  
5. To make aware of, alert.

**xXxXxXxXx **

**The Four Planes, and the Great Cataclysm**

_Earth, Fire, Wind, Water; the four elements of the planet. Mind, Body, Soul; the three elements of the body. Several more exist upon the Human world, Netherworld, Spiritual plane, and Demon plane. Two dimensions, holding two galaxies; one filled with a variety of human kind, another with a variety of demon kind with each holding a spiritual plane for collected spirits departing from the worlds. The Human world held the spiritual world, holding positive spirits, while the Nether world received the Demon plane, which held negative spirits. All for planes were forced to hold a constant balance in order to keep the structure of time and space in existence. A tilt of balance in any location could result in any sort of catastrophic cataclysm, from a minor change in winds, to the destruction of a planet, always dependent upon the discrepancy._

_A long time ago, a very powerful demon attempted to enter the existence of the Human world, and succeeded. With a demonic aura powerful enough to open a rift from the Netherworld into the Human world, the disproportion of spirit and demon energy was enough to banish the world of Demons from existence entirely. All demon spirits were sent to the Demon plane, which resulted in another catastrophic imbalance between the Demon plane and Spiritual plane. With negative energy completely dominating over positive energy, the Spiritual world was in desperate need of positive souls. Ironically enough, the tyrant that had started the event that was later known as the **Great Cataclysm** started his adventures in the new dimension by conquering the planet he had landed upon, and completely destroying its inhabitance; a planet filled with many souls, and strong mages of both dark and light arts, a planet once called the planet of shadows, Azarath._

_Not much was recorded about the **Great Cataclysm**, though some believed the powerful demon to have been a God of sorts, who had judged that the sorcery and dark arts of the people of Azarath to be evil. Others thought it to be the work of an evil creation, brought from the darkest, deepest parts of space, with its first target the planet at the end of the universe, and simply continue its way until it reached the center of the galaxy. The demon's reign continued for what many came to believe was far too long. The demon gained in strength by creating followers to do his bidding, following any and all commands delivered by the tyrant, furthering his hold over the Human world. These groups, or Cults if you will were gifted by the demon lord with a small portion of his powers, with each cult holding a different portion of special abilities, all of which held the powerful elements of the spiritual and demon worlds, though mostly leaned toward the darker elements, some of which were completely unknown to even the wisest of the human world._

_Different races throughout the galaxy of the Human world were brought together to form a resistance against the demon and fought against his powerful control over neighboring planets. Countless battles were brought forth, with many lives lost. In the end, balance was created throughout the three planes, and the demon was sent away to the furthest part of the Demon plane, his soul to forever remain in a dormant state. In prevention from such catastrophes from happening again, the spiritual world gifted the wisest of the human world with special abilities, one of which was to foresee partial events of the future. These special people dubbed Prophets of the Human World shared their visions with each other, creating prophecies in prevention or preparation of such events as the **Great Cataclysm**. Prophecies were passed along from planet to planet, some varying from prophecies to legends, or simple fairy tales while others were collected into a book of stories, passed down from prophet to prophet. With the three remaining planes back into balance, and slightly more prepared for such events in the future, it seemed balance would hold itself until another disaster would find itself into one of the three planes._


	2. Enter Sandman

**Prophecy of Awakening I **

**Demonic Awakening I**

Enter Sandman

**xXxXxXxXx **

_Two Years Earlier_

The sun mirrored against the crashing waves along the western coast of California, home to the heroes of Jump City. The sky was bright, clouds parted away from the sun's rays, and the wind was enough to cool one's skin. Along the edges of the island at Jump City's limit held the home of five super heroes. With a combination of leadership, strength, charisma, wisdom, and a little humor now and then, these young heroes had joined forces for only one time, and had ever since been called the Teen Titans. Holding their base of operations where it had all started, on an island along side Jump City, their base was built in the shape of a T, as a reminder to those who attempted evil just who it was they would be faced against. The large tower held it all for the heroes; from the largest training indoor gymnasium, to the highest quality-training course, both indoor and outdoor. From the state of the art super-computer that informed them of any crime occurring within the city, to records of every known criminal as well as access to police and confidential records. From a garage filled with the tools that had created their very own personal T-car, to the roof that held a basketball court, the Titan's had it all. The city wanted the Titans to remain comfortable while keeping their city safe from evil.

"This has been a most exciting day, friend Raven," came the ever-enthusiastic voice of the princess of Tamaran. Long fiery red mane rolled down her back, with thick strands covering the sides of her face, framing it more beautifully than the violet haired sorceress could ever imagine. Dark forest green eyes swirled in a pool of light jade, while they blinked innocently with the perky smile upon the small lips of the orange skin-toned alien. The teen's hands were clasped together in front of her, while her shoulders pinched inward. Clad in a dark purple skirt, halter-top and knee-high boots, her brows rose in excitement while she attempted to share her enthusiasm with the best friend she had on this planet.

Dark ashen lips smirked in response to the Tamaranian's actions; lilac colored eyes shifting from the dark shadows of the heavy azure cloak worn around her form, the hood pulled over her head. With their powers similar in a way, both needing to have complete control over their emotions in order to control their powers successfully, Starfire and Raven had become quite close. The sorceress of Azarath had taught the girl meditation, while Starfire had taught the sorceress to open up more. Though Raven always kept her cold demeanor around the other members of the team, when alone with the Tamaranian Princess, the Princess of Shadows opened up, relieving the pressure of constantly keeping her emotions to herself.

Raven had been having trouble keeping her emotions in check lately, and had taken more time in meditating than normal. Instead of a usual activity picked out by Starfire, the redheaded Teen Titan had suggested that they simply meditate the day. Though it sometimes seemed boring to the Tamaran, simply being in the presence of the sorceress was enough to please her. Within the walls of Starfire's room, both touched the floor from their levitated meditative position, Starfire stretching her limbs while Raven pulled back the hood to her cloak, feeling slightly cleansed after another successful meditation.

"My dear Koriand'r, you become excited over a snail riding the top of a turtle's shell," the sorceress relayed with a light amount of mirth, while floating her hand over the motion sensor set next to the doorframe. With a green flash, it read the heat and instantly opened the doorway, leading them into the red-carpeted hallway of Titans Tower. The ceiling light lit the way, with the view of the ocean to the west, the coastline of California easily visible from the Tower. A flash of light emitted from within the confinements of Raven's cloak, along with the infamous tune for the Titans were well known. It had never been her choosing, though catchy as it was.

"Titans," the voice of their leader came through the speakers of the small round mechanism. Raven pulled the device and flipped open the top, viewing the leader's slick black hair, and trim black and white mask worn over his eyes. Apprentice to the caped crusader himself, and hailing from the dark city itself, the Titan's leader Robin, gave a firm look through the visor screen, before relaying the rest of the message, indicating for all Titan Team Members to report to the main lobby of the Tower. "Trouble."

**xXxXxXxXx **

Meanwhile, swirls of blonde attached itself to the moisture that collected along the damp forehead of the sprinting girl, while her lightweight traveling boots continued to pound in haste against the rough grassless Earth. The thunderous sounds of a larger beast's trampling continued to close in on her. She quickly forced her legs to continue their endless journey through the rocky mountains just outside of Jump City. The large mutated creature currently attempting to devour her for an early morning breakfast was a fast legged, giant-sized scorpion, with its pointy legs in addition to its immense weight easily piercing through the hard rock surface the girl continued to run along, taking sharp left turns at the last moment in attempts to loose the creature. Finally backing herself into a corner, the sapphire eyed teen turn to face her predator, a look of exhaustion wearing down upon her façade.

"Titans, Go!"

Before any of the team could move however, the girl's sapphire tiers became overtaken by a hue of golden-yellow, with a light aura encircling her body. With a spiraling wind picking up at her feet and growing with each passing second, the girl lifted her gloved hands upward, the same yellow hue surrounding a large bridge-like rock just above where the giant scorpion had seemingly trapped her. With a forceful scream, she pulled her arms downward; forcing the giant piece of rock to give under her power and straight onto the scorpion's back, crushing its spine, with falling rocks completely covering its body. The golden hue faded from her eyes, bringing a slightly surprised pair of sapphire eyes to inspect the results. The tail of the scorpion twitched twice, before it fell to the ground, unmoving. She then shifted her view to where she had heard the initial shout to view the heroes of Jump City, which were well known throughout the state of California as non other than the Teen Titans themselves, all of which held a surprised, and slightly impressed expression. A quick brush of the strands of hair that fell over her field of view relayed a smile across her lips.

"She was not in trouble," Starfire was first to speak, amazed by the girl's talents.

"She was leading it into a trap!" Cyborg added in with a grin.

"Question is," Robin continued with a hand on his chin. Beast Boy peeked up over the boy wonder's shoulder, completely awestruck by the girl.

"…who is she?" he asked. The girl waved a hand, and then continued to dust the dirt from her gloves. A touch to the ground beneath her would surround a portion of rock and force it into the air with the girl upon it, lifting her into the air and to where the team stood, atop the mountainside. With a cocky grin, the girl spun on the rock, then leaped onto the mountainside, allowing the rock to plummet down the hill. Her sapphire hues clashed well with her overly long blonde hair, which seemed to constantly fall from her ear's reach and shadow over one side of her face. The girl stood slightly taller than Raven herself, and had been clad in civilian clothing, a blue and white shirt, short cargo shorts, and a pair of worn out traveler's boots.

"What?" she asked with a hand on her hip, letting a smirk play out on her lips. "Haven't you guys ever seen a superhero before?"

Raven arched a brow at the girl's straight-forwardness, rolling her eyes thereafter toward Beast Boy's rather overly dramatic response to a blonde. She watched her leader step forward first, extending his hand outward formally toward the girl.

"I'm Robin," the boy wonder stated with a firm smile, greeting the girl. "We're the-"

"Teen Titans," the girl exclaimed, while slapping her hand against Robin's. "Rock on! I'm Terra…"

**xXxXxXxXx**

"This is Titan's Tower," Beast Boy said with a puff of his chest. Sapphire hues widened to the size of saucers, as she gawked over the size of the infamous T-shaped Tower of Jump City's Heroes. Forty-stories, the tower rose, every ten stories holding a large divider, with four cubes reaching upward with one sitting to each side of the top cube, making the well-known T-like appearance of their home base. Clear grass stretched from the dirt path road to the edge of the cliff, the ocean's horizon visible over the edge on the left, and to the right was the city itself, with a view of Jump City and it's port. Terra had seen the Tower before, in the papers or on the news, but never in person.

"Wow, you guys live here?" she asked stupidly, as she rushed all around the sides of the tower, amazed at both the structure and location. "How'd you guys build this?"

"Heh," Cyborg chuckled at the memory after stepping out of the T-car, a blue and silver sedan that held the same technology and weaponry within its very creator. "It's a long story. Took a lot of time, but it's packed with everything a hero would ever need."

"Yea," Beast Boy nodded, as he extended an arm, and began to speak and appear as a real-estate agent. "The bottom section holds the garage and inside training arena, with both a gymnasium and a court. The middle part there is where we sleep, and on the top is the living room, of the tower, where we track down the bad guys, watch T.V. or play video games!"

"Easy, Beast Boy," Robin stated while a sweat drop appeared on the side of his head. "We're not trying to sell the place."

"Yea," Cyborg continued as he made his way toward the garage. "Its also got a state of the art security system, un-hack-able computer operations system, and a defensive weapons system."

Robin sighed, as the two continued to show off their home, while Starfire and Raven landed from the skies beside him. Sparkles suddenly erupted around the overly enthusiastic Starfire, as she clasped her hands together and titled her head to the side, looking onward admiringly.

"Glorious!" she announced in a cheerful voice. "I shall prepare for our new friend the Feast of Friendship as it is made on my home planet!"

One by one, the Titan's stomachs turned. A shade of green falling over all of them, while Beast Boy's green-tone skin simply paled at the thought of Tamaranian Food. The girl's taste buds were strange enough, thinking mustard had been some sort of liquid tangy juice. Holding no knowledge of that little fact, however, Terra's stomach had been the only one to rumble, a hesitant chuckle following the empty stomach's cry for food. Before any could warn her, however, Starfire had grasped the girl's hand in a tight Tamaranian grip, and simply dragged her to the entrance of the tower and straight upstairs to feed her. The rest of the team slowly followed in suit.

**xXxXxXxXx**

Raven sighed later that night, waving her hand over the motion sensor, the light just above the rectangle device lighting from red, then to green, blinking twice before the door lifted open at her command. Insomnia. One of the many nights the sorceress would spend upon the rooftops of the tower. A good meditation would allow her to sleep blissfully. A thought passed by her head, as she made her way down the hall, an arched brow toward the left turn that would take her toward the main lobby, where their "guest" currently resided. The girl certainly had made herself at home, though it did appear as if she had no other place to stay. The sorceress found herself pausing, where straight would lead her to the stairwell, and a left would take her to the lobby. Should she check up on her? Why was it taking her this long to come up with an answer? Raven let out a light humph, blowing a single strand of lavender from her eyes. She moved forward, passed the lobby and toward the stairwell, crashing into something that made its way around the corner.

"Oof," came the muffled voice of Beast Boy, who toppled onto his side along with Raven, a blanket draped over her head. Realizing just whom it was he had bumped into, he let out an 'eep,' and slowly began to pull the blanket he had been carrying, revealing a slightly irritated sorceress. "Heh, uh … sorry, Raven."

The girl flipped the rest of the material off, while pushing herself to stand, dusted off her chest and arms, then pulled the hood to her cloak up and over her head. The shadows covered the upper parts of her face, with the soft glow of her eyes peering through the darkness. The changeling of their team was attired in a black and purple spandex suit he had received during his time with the Doom Patrol, his messily spiked green hair, dark green skin and pointy ears proved that a mask held no need to hide his so-called 'secret identity,' Raven remembered pointing out, which had left him speechless at the time. That had been the first battle of wits she had won against Beast Boy, and it certainly had not been the last.

"What are you doing up this late?" Raven suddenly asked, arching a brow to the blanket he held in his hand. The changeling fumbled around with the material for a moment, while attempting to conjure up an answer.

"I uh, well you see … I thought … wait, what are you doing up this late?" Beast Boy suddenly asked, mirroring the girl's own façade. Raven's lips became a solid line, not entirely in the mood to deal with where Beast Boy was going.

"Don't answer a question with a question," she said while shaking her head. What was he trying to do, change the subject? It was a simple question, which would easily be completed with a simple answer.

"Why not?" Beast Boy asked with a tilt of his head. Raven frowned in slight irritation.

"Because you're avoiding the initial question," Raven spat back. Frankly, she did not care for the answer. He was probably heading to see Terra to see if she wanted a blanket, or something similar. Why should she care?

"Am I?" Again, the changeling was playing dumb, or was simply just plain stupid. It was enough to drive the sorceress mad, and most likely to blow something up if it were not so late in the night.

"Whatever," the girl shook her head; quickly brushing passed the changeling, bumping shoulders with him on the way by. Beast Boy's weight was forced against the wall, dropping the blanket while, a question mark floated over his head. Eyeing the sorceress cautiously, he waited until the door to the stairwell closed after she exited the hallway to spend the rest of the night under the starlit sky.

"Jeez, what's her deal?"

**xXxXxXxXx**

"Az'rath, Metrion, Xinthos … Az'rath, Metrion, Xinthos …"

Raven levitated inches above the roof's floor, her arms set upon her knees, her ring and middle finger pulled back, while extending the pinky and index outward. Slowly, her mind was at ease. She had not meant to blow up on Beast Boy earlier. Frankly, she did not know what had upset her so much. So what if he was up this late? She was up to, was she not? Who cares if he was just going to go see if Terra needed a blanket? Well, it's not as if she needed one. Starfire had made sure she was well bedded before retiring herself for the night. She had extra blankets and pillows, so what was the little twerp thinking? Just some stupid excuse to talk to her with no one else around?

One of the lights upon the rooftop suddenly sparked, being overtaken by black energy, erupting and then shattering completely, awakening the sorceress from her thoughts. Shock was on her face, attempting to shake her head free of such thoughts proved more difficult than it first appeared. What was wrong with her? Surely, her emotions were in check. She had no problem earlier in the day, so what was the big deal now? Letting out a sigh, she felt suddenly drained, her once traditional frown turning into a slight pout, unfolding her legs and touching foot to concrete floor.

Why did she feel so drained all of a sudden? Surely, she wasn't tired. She felt wide-awake, and her body was well energized moments ago. Her meditation hadn't gone all that well, and she didn't feel as 'serene' as she usually did after finishing a successful meditation. A hand parted a few strands while she walked toward the edge of the tower, viewing the skyline of ocean. She took a seat at the edge, letting her feet dangle over the rooftop. She always found it peaceful upon the tower's roof. Every problem seemed much smaller up here … well, most of them anyway. A sudden splash from below interrupted her nonexistent thoughts, and moved her view downward over the edge.

"Sorry! I'm sorry, I'm so stupid! Don't tell! Please don't tell!"

Was that Terra's voice? Raven fixated her eyes upon the hysterical blonde, who seemed rather distraught over something she had just done. Rarely did she pry on other's privacy over the respect that they leave her alone, and she leaves them alone, she found herself leaning over slightly, fixating her senses upon the conversation below.

"Terra, it's okay," she heard Beast Boy reply easily. Therefore, he finally found his voice. The sorceress let out a light chuckle recalling the changeling's fumbled words when he first met the blonde. "You can't totally control your powers. So what?"

"Promise you won't tell anybody – ever!" Terra demanded. This intrigued the sorceress. The girl couldn't control her powers fully.

"Sure…"

"Swear it!"

"Okay! Okay! I promise. But really, it's no big deal. If my friends knew, they'd still like you."

Of course it was a big deal. Having special powers required a lot of responsibility, especially when it comes to powers like Terra's, or even Raven's own. She required constant meditation to assure her emotions were in check. They were constantly in tune with her powers. The light-bulb explosion earlier was a prime example. Who knows what this girl could do if her powers got out of control.

"You just don't understand."

The statement was barely audible, but somehow Raven was able to catch it. The tone behind it held more meaning than the changeling would ever comprehend. Raven, however, knew very well what the girl was going through. It seemed she had much more in common with the new girl than she first thought.

**xXxXxXxXx **

"Slade …"

The next morning within a diamond mining cave site that the named mercenary had attacked with a small gang of robots, Terra shifted her view to the shadows, quickly wiping her eyes from her prior mistakes of nearly burying Beast Boy. She watched as the silhouette suddenly disappeared, attempting to make an escape before the Titans could catch him. If she could somehow corner Slade and defeat him, maybe they'll accept her. Determination fueling her actions, Terra pushed herself from the ground and rushed after the mercenary, who seemed to know the caves well. Left turn, then a right. It took nearly all her stamina just to catch up with the man, but a few hundred yards later, she's hot on his trail. The girl skids to a stop and raises one hand, caving in the ceiling from above, and trapping the man where he stood.

"Looks like I've got you," Terra announced confidently, fighting back the urge to add in a cocky chuckle. The much taller, more menacing man simply turned, walked toward her without any fear and leaped high into the air, landing directly behind her.

"Actually, Terra," he stated in a calm, deep voice, producing a sphere with the Slade insignia upon it, an orange S with an orange circle on it in a pool of black. Throwing it upward, the strange device stuck to the ceiling. A light beeping sounded, as well as a quick flashing red light. As he rose from his crouched stance, the quick flashing stopped and exploded, bringing down the other side of the ceiling, completely trapping them both. "I've got you."

The overly-calmness of the mercenary sent a wave of fear down the young girl's spine, swallowing the lump that formed in her throat. Slade continued to make his way toward the girl, his hands set calmly at his side.

"Now Terra," Slade started, while Terra began to back step against his approach. "You walked right into a trap." With a motion of his wrist, a metal pole extended outward, the tip of which tapped against his other hand. His eyes lowered, making his appearance even more evil.

"Another mistake. You of all people should know better," he went on. Not wanting the man to continue, Terra reached out to strike. Her fist was easily parried by the newly acquired weapon. Her wrist smashed against the metal pole, though she dared not show the pain she felt. "But at least you and I are finally getting a chance to talk."

This time, Slade attacked, extending his fist outward for a quick jab. Terra shifted to the side and out of the way, a motion of her hand sending a rock straight for his head. Slade easily leaned to the left, allowing the rock so soar passed him, barely missing.

"Hm … I see we have much to talk about," Slade said with an arched brow. Frowning intently, Terra crouched down, with a soft yellow hue glowing around her gloved hands.

"Mind if I talk with my hands?"

**xXxXxXxXx**

"Az'rath, Metrion, Xinthos!" A sphere of black energy surrounded the telepath, as several beams of plasma energy threatened her life, all of which were stopped in their tacks at the summoning of her shield. With a quick motion of her hands, her shield was pushed outward; knocking back the five robots that attempted to damage her. A quick shift of her view upward would show the Tamaranian Princess tearing through three at a time with one simple swing. She then glanced toward another member of her team, the half-human half machine being nicknamed Cyborg. In a lab experiment gone wrong, the African-American Victor Stone had lost most of his limbs, as well as some important internal organs due to the accident. Most of his body, as well as half of his head was wrapped in a special silver and blue metal, all powered by a plasma battery. It was later found out, when the Titans had first joined forces with one another, that his metal arm could be converted into a weapon that released the plasma energy. This 'sonic cannon,' along with his superior strength, had been his primary form of attack.

A quick motion of her hands sent her black magic downward in the form of a giant black hand that stretched down to grasp hold of one of Slade's robots. These humanoid creatures were clad in a ninjitsu-like suit, with silver metallic belts that held their plasma energy pistols, with the only source of vision being their optical sensors, two round sensor spheres, good for both computerized images, and depth perception. These mechanical bots were specialized in various fighting styles, which made them difficult to fight each time, since they would never used the same tactic twice. Raven's hand clenched tightly while out stretched, forcing its shadow-like puppet to clench as well, completely crushing and destroying the robot. More suddenly jumped down from the ledges above, one landing right onto the back of the sorceress.

"Raven!" Starfire cried out to the girl with an extending of her arm, as the sorceress became bombarded with Slade's minions. Three more joined onto her back, and soon she fell to a thirty-foot drop to the ground, with several more surrounding her. The Tamaranian let out a shout as her fist tore through another robot, letting an explosion of green energy pass through its skull and straight through the chest of another. Six more stood between herself and her sorceress. With a leap into the air, she began to fly toward her, until a piercing scream reached her ears.

A soft wind slowly began to spiral around the center pile of robots, and with a sudden shriek, a black field of energy completely disintegrated over ten robots that attempted to squash the sorceress, with said dark magus now standing with her arms spread outward, and cloak flapping wildly behind her. Before relief could fill her expression, Starfire caught for only a split second the pair of crimson hues shinning through the black energy sphere, but as soon as the shield diminished, the enraged look was gone, replaced by the every stoic façade of Raven, who sacrificed a mere moment to spare the girl a questionable glance. Starfire shook her surprised look as quickly as it came, relieved that her friend was indeed safe.

The look of relief didn't last long; however, as the very walls that prevented the ceiling from caving in began to shake tremendously. Alertness took over the dark magus, as she quickly shielded herself from a falling rock with a lift of her hands. Crumbling upon impact against the dark magical shield, Raven retracted her hand, diminished her defenses and quickly flew down to her teammates with Starfire in tow.

"Slade must be trying to bring the whole place down!" Cyborg shouted as a blue beam of energy erupted from his arm cannon and tore through the midsection of two robots. Robin leaped down into view with his pole caving in the skull of one robot while swinging it around and decapitating another.

"I don't think its Slade," the Titan's leader stated as he connected his steel-toed boot to the chest of the final robot, and landing with ease. He shifted his head toward where Terra had run off.

**xXxXxXxXx**

"They're my friends," Terra quickly countered, though fear was now evident in her voice. No matter what she had thrown at Slade, he would easily parry or doge, and counter just as strong. "They wouldn't do that."

"And what of your old friends, Tara?" Slade's eyes lowered while his hands remained behind his back. "No one will accept you for who you are because your curse spreads to them like a disease. Everyone will like you until you lose control of your powers, and somebody gets hurt. Then, they'll blame you like everyone in the past."

"No!" Terra screamed as her eyes flared a violent shade of dark yellow. Her powers suddenly exploded all around her, and she quickly tried to regain control. "Don't lose control … don't lose control…" Terra crouched down with her hands upon her head, her knees to her chest with tears streaming down the sides of her cheeks. Slade knew everything. He had even called her by her real name, and it sent shivers down her spine. Her powers had been the cause of deaths across the country, and now she feared her friends would soon find out. Her swirling emotions caused a lift of winds, and rocks to spin around her, while the cave she stood within threatened to cave in upon her.

"Now Terra … Tara Markov," Slade corrected himself, once again bringing up the fact that he knew everything about her. "How can you lose something you never had?"

A torment scream ensues, while debris of rock and the like swirl around her. Another violent shake and parts of the ceiling begin to collapse. Her body rises from the ground, while her eyes glow an even brighter hue of golden yellow.

"No one else understands you, Tara. No one else can help you," the mercenary threatened, lowering himself into the shadows. "I'll be waiting."

The girl couldn't control her emotions. She felt control slowly escape her grasp, and soon she would come face to face with those in which her powers had affected.

"Terra! Terra!" Beast Boy's voice called out from within the maelstrom, reverting to human form and suddenly lifted into the air from the swirling winds. The girl blinked her moistened eyes open, viewing the changeling attempting to grasp her hand. A single hand grasps onto her shoulder, and she's shocked to see concern in the boy's eyes. The grab was enough to awaken her from her trance, and force her to notice the danger she had let him walk right into. Slowly, his free hand and one of her own inch toward one another, grasping together firmly. Terra instinctively moved toward the hold, cowering in both fear and guilt.

"It's okay Terra, I'm here," he states while the girl clings to his arms, sobbing. "I'm here."

The winds began to die down, with rock and debris slowly falling to the ground all around them. The two lowered to the ground; while Terra's tearful eyes looked upward.

"You won't," she started out, fearing the worst from the changeling, as well as the words of Slade.

"I'm not going to tell anybody, I promise."

Raven watched from the shadows, with her own emotions mixing suddenly. Why did it affect her so, this scene before her? Angrily, she retracted herself to the shadows, lifting herself up and away from the caves completely, in hopes to clear her mind of the sudden thoughts that had risen in her mind, as well as the emotions that stirred around in her belly.

**xXxXxXxXx**

"Well guys, uh … it's been real," Terra started out back at the tower after Beast Boy had calmed her down, with her backpack slung over her shoulder. She felt it best if she left the team. Slade may have been wrong about her wanting to join, but he was right. She needed to leave. Her powers weren't under her control, and she didn't want to risk having her teammates hurt, or even worse. Turning toward the door as it opened, she gave a friendly waving gesture. "Seriously, thanks for everything, but I should-"

"Don't even think about it," came a voice from in front of her, while she nearly fell over from running into what seemed like a steel wall.

"Okay," Terra said, turning around in half amusement and half confusion. "What's going on?"

"Well," Raven stated, arching a brow to the girl. Terra would make a nice new addition to the team. She herself had a lot in common with the girl, and she couldn't help but feel … well, she couldn't quite explain it, but she simply liked the girl's presence. In addition, it would finally even out the gender ratio of boys and girls. Yea … that seemed like a good reason.

"We talked it over," Cyborg added in, patting the girl on the back.

"We wish for you to stay here, with us!" Starfire gleamed, letting out a giggle while her hands clasped together.

"We think you'd make a great addition to our team," Robin stepped forward, his eyes shifting to Beast Boy.

"So," Beast Boy was last to voice out, while Robin held out a Titans Communicator within her reach. "Want to be a Titan?"

"Me?" Terra couldn't believe it. Her; a Teen Titan. She could help save lives, and possibly make up for what she had done in her past. "Really?"

Her lit up face was enough to force a smile upon the sorceress, feeling lucky that the hood was draped over her shadows eyes, and light pink hue that rose upon her cheeks. She continued to watch from the back of the group, hiding her mixed emotions as they brought forth a new Teen Titan.

"Of course, you'll need more training," Robin nodded his head with a genuine smile. With a roll of his hand, he continued. "I know you have trouble controlling your powers, and we can help."

Raven's eyes widened, while she watched the blonde strands lower, the sapphire eyes she had remained locked upon shifting to the floor. The Titans Communicator dropped from her grip to the floor, bouncing slightly at Beast Boy and Robin's feet, then off to the side.

"You told him?" Terra's eyes hadn't lifted, but the tone in her voice was beyond angered. Had he just shattered her trust?

"I didn't," Beast Boy quickly attempted to defend himself, his own ears lowering at her tone.

"You promised!" Terra's voice now grew, her eyes returning up with tears filling her sockets. "You lied to me! You lied!"

The girl quickly ran through the door Cyborg once stood, attempting to rid herself of her would-be friend. She sprinted out the door, ignoring the cries of Beast Boy, whom she thought she could trust. How could he lie to her? Slade was right. She couldn't trust him. She couldn't trust anybody. She could only rely on herself, as she always had.

"Terra, no! Wait!"

**xXxXxXxXx**

"Running away won't solve any of your problems," a voice from beside the sprinting blonde forced her to pause in mid step, turning to the rising shadows of the sorceress of Azarath. "We all have our demons to face, Terra, but sometimes we can't all do it alone."

Terra sighed toward the wisest of the Titan's Team, who floated from her levitated state, having easily beaten the girl from the main lobby to the front entrance, and dirt pathway that would take her across the bridge to the outer limits of the city to which she came.

"We can help you learn to control your powers, Terra," Raven suggested, bent on keeping the girl with her team.

"I have control of my powers," Terra stated firmly while her eyes shifted from the girl. Raven recalled stating the same thing to other members of her team upon several occasions. "Just not complete control."

"Then stay with us," Raven suggested once again, forcing the blonde to look back to her with shock in her eyes. "We can help you with that."

"I …" Terra was at a loss for words. The entire team had pleaded her to stay. However, could she really trust them? Could they really help her to control her powers? Or would she simply lose control and end up just hurting them as she had with everyone else that tried to help her. Terra shook her head while her eyes dropped to the ground. "I just don't want to hurt anyone, I'm sorry."

With that, the girl continued to push away, turning to run off and leaving Raven alone under the streetlight of the dirt pathway. The sorceress sighed while her view never left the running girl.

"Running away wont solve your problems, Terra…" she mumbled aloud, her head lowering when the view of the girl completely faded. "You and I … we share the same problems … we don't want to be around anyone in fear of hurting them."

**xXxXxXxXx**

Raven sighed while she leaned up against her door, looking around at the bare contents of her room. She had failed in persuading the girl to stay, and for some reason, it hurt her more than she wanted to admit. Perhaps it was because there would finally be someone she could relate to on the team. Someone who couldn't fully control her powers? Possibly. Raven felt as if there were more to her mixed emotions, but she felt too tired to deal with them tonight. Tomorrow would become like any other day, and soon she would forget about the girl … hopefully.

End Part I 


	3. Wherever I May Roam

**Prophecy of Awakening I **

**Demonic Awakening II**

Wherever I May Roam

**xXxXxXxXx**

"Ah!"

Terra let out a scream as she ran as fast as she could away from the falling rocks she had attempted to keep levitated over her head. Her powers had erupted, and the sudden lack of concentration forced the large pieces of earth to fall from the skies, and directly toward her. She dove at the last second, barely avoiding a near-death experience. As large amounts of dust clouds picked up all around her, she punched at her very element, pounding against the Earth she laid upon.

"Why can't I do this?" Terra cried out in frustration. She had spent nearly a week away from the tower, and she hated it. Never had she felt this way about anywhere she had been. From town to town, from city to city she had gone and left without a trace after her powers had caused problems, or she simply became bored with her life there. She could literally feel the pain from disclosing the voices in her mind that urged her to return to her home. She wanted to learn to control her powers first, then … maybe …

"It is because you lack concentration, my sweet Tara," a sudden voice echoed from above. Tearful eyes, which she hadn't even noticed looked up to the mountainside to where the mercenary was perched, glaring down upon her.

"Slade…" Terra let out with a frown, a look of determination set upon her. How did this man know who she really was? Hell, she didn't even know who she really was!

"How is it you know that name?" Terra demanded to know, unable to back down from him like she had before.

"I know all about you, Tara Markov," Slade stated as he leaped down from the mountain, landing twelve meters away from her. "I know about the experimentation in Gotham … I know about the path you took in order to get here."

"Why?" Terra asked as she took a hesitant step back, though kept up her tough pretense. "Why me? Why do you know so much about me? What can be so interesting about me?"

"Your powers, Tara," Slade stated emotionlessly as he continued a slow pace toward her. "You are very unique, as I have said before. A diamond that needs a little … shaping."

"I think it's you that needs a little shaping," Terra yelled out while surrounding her hands in a yellow glow. She forced her arms outward, while the very ground the mercenary stood on crumbled. Slade leaped off the rock a few yards back, crouching down as Terra sent several rocks in his direction.

"Lesson number one," the mercenary's voice became slightly louder like a teacher would to emphasize his point. "Never attack based on your emotions."

With a quick reach to his back he pulled out his metallic bo-staff, extending it outward and swinging through several pieces of stone. The staff spiraled around his form, completely shattering any and every rock that aimed to harm. Terra took a step back while Slade advanced forward, hurling stone after stone while the mercenary deflected each attack.

"Lesson number two," Slade began to say as he neared closer toward her.

"I don't need lessons from you!" Terra shouted as a bright yellow aura erupted around her. The very earth Slade stood upon suddenly crack and crumbled, forcing him to leap high into the air.

"Use your opponents weakness against them," he shouted from the air as he hurled several disks outward. With a quick lifting of her arms, Terra shielded herself from the attack, forcing the disks to explode against the raised earth. The blast hurled Terra back a few yards and onto her back, with Slade once again walking up confidently beside her.

"What's the matter, little elementalist," Slade asked in a low tone while leaning down toward the blonde. "Were you not strong enough to help fight along side your fellow teammates? Or did personal issues force you to run, like you always do…"

Terra let out a grunt, then a scream as she turned toward the mercenary, lifting a portion of rock behind her, surrounded in a yellow hue and hurled it in his direction, two which he easily sidestepped. The blonde forced herself to her feet and ran straight for Slade, arms cocked back and swirling with a golden yellow energy. Her sapphire hues were filled with rage as she launched punch after punch, each one being dodged or easily swatted away by the man's pole. Terra dropped to the ground, barely avoiding a roundhouse and quickly lifted the earth behind her, smacking into Slade's chest and sending him several yards back.

"Hah!" Terra cried out confidently after a few intakes of breath. Sweat poured off her form, but she was at least glad to have made one hit on her enemy. "Take that, you son of a-"

The side of her head was struck by the instep of Slade's boot, the man having to move like quicksilver while the dust had collected where he landed and coming up from the girl's side, striking while she celebrated her hit.

"Lesson number two," Slade began to repeat. "Never drop your guard even when your enemy is down."

Terra began to lift herself from the ground, her body trembling in both exhaustion from her earlier attempts to control her powers, and the excessive training Slade forced upon her. The man's index finger began to lift up the girl's chin, while blonde strands covered the left side of her face. Slade's one eye stared into Terra's own, seeming to enjoy the look of fear he placed in her.

"Why is it you chose to fight me?" Slade asked curiously as he dropped his grip from the girl and straightened his back. "Do you not seek information of your past?"

"I don't care about my past," Terra was quick to shout as she pulled herself to her knees. "You say you know so much about me, I'd assume you'd be the first to know the reasons why I run all the time."

Conversation. Slade smirked. Yes, the girl was indeed opening up to him now.

"Because no one understands you, Terra," Slade stated, referring to the girl by the name she chose. He placed his hands behind his back while the girl attempted to catch her breath, walking circles around her while he continued. "You attempt to do good, to prove that you are not a complete screw up. But your powers are far superior than your own strength. You need to learn your limitations, and you need to learn control. You rely too much on your own powers and not enough upon yourself."

Terra's shoulders slumped as the man's words began to sink in.

"When things go wrong, others immediately place the blame upon you, but it's always easier to point fingers rather than accept responsibility," Slade continued on as he now stood face to face with the girl who now sat resting an arm on one knee. "When you begin to take responsibility for your actions, when you learn to control your powers, will you stop running?"

Terra thought long and hard about the question her supposed enemy announced to her, her brows lowering while her eyes focused upon the ground. So many people had been hurt because of her inability to control her powers, so many lives had been lost. How long was she supposed to keep running for? How much longer before she ran into a dead end?

"You're an adventurer, Terra," Slade interrupted the girl's thoughts before she had time to answer his question. "You run recklessly through life, burning the bridges you cross in hopes that no one will follow, but what will happen when you attempt to return to those bridges?"

She had been on her own for so long, she couldn't remember exactly where she was from, where it had all started. Her eyes closed as tears built, fighting to keep herself calm. She couldn't break now, especially in front of him.

"How many more lives must you destroy before you realize you can't learn to control your powers on your own?" Slade asked, his voice more harsh but quickly calmed as he knelt down to become eye level with the girl. He placed his index finger upon her chin once again, lifting her head up to look her in the eye. They slowly opened, misty and attempting to shield her emotions. "I'm offering you the chance to never have to run again, Terra. No more bridges will be burned, and no more fingers will be pointed in your direction. Train as my apprentice, and I shall show you to control your powers. All that I ask in return is your trust."

**xXxXxXxXx **

In mid-leap and with a fierce growl, Robin swung his fist back passed his head and swung hard at the flying volleyball, sending it soaring through the air, clear over the net toward Cyborg and Starfire on the other side. A metal-handed pump sent the ball back up, with Starfire quickly taking action next, bouncing the ball back to the other side. A green skinned kangaroo was waiting, however, quickly kicking it back hard. Starfire was first to take initiative, delivering a killer spike.

"Az'rath, Metrion, Xinthos … Az'rath, Metrion, Xinthos …" Raven continued to chant. It had been a few weeks after Terra had left them, and Raven couldn't fill in the empty feeling in the pit of her stomach. Perhaps if she had tried more to get the girl to stay … maybe if she had … she quickly buried such thoughts. She was attempting to meditate, to clear her mind of such thoughts in order to become more focused upon her emotions and the source of her own powers, not to reflect upon the past.

In attempt to save, Robin jumped up, barely in enough time to send up flying upward toward the net, setting up for a perfect spike for either team. Cyborg quickly rushes in for the follow up, with the ball descends toward the net. As the big man gets ready to spike, however, he finds himself facing an even bigger green gorilla with the same idea in mind. Beast Boy prevails, and smashes the ball passed both members of the opposition, hurling it straight toward the back of Raven's head. An instant after he comes down from his jump, he resumed his human form and began to panic.

"Raven, heads up!"

The ball continued its flight, but stopped dead an inch short of the sorceress' cranium, thanks to an annoyed glance and a bit of telekinesis. A lowered brow would rocket the ball back toward the players, smashing directly into the changeling's face, while she resumed her meditation.

"Yow!" Beast Boy exclaimed, while grasping his bruised nose. "Thanks, uh … good save."

"Are you sure you don't want to play, Raven?" Robin shifted his worried view from Beast Boy to Raven, who had remained in even further solitude than he was normally used to.

"Yes, please, you must volley the ball with us!" Koriand'r always had a way with words, Raven mused. It was enough to force out a light chuckle, though not enough to pull her from her meditation.

"Come on!" Cyborg called out to the girl, while pulling his left arm behind his back, and waving his right. "I'll play you with one hand behind my back."

"I can't," Raven admitted truthfully. "I have to meditate."

Shrugs all around, after which Cyborg pulled his left arm back out. The team quickly resumed play, with a gorilla Beast Boy smashing the ball right back into play. After over-pounding it again, the changeling reverts back to his human form, shouting out to the sorceress yet again.

"Heads up, again!"

The ball seemed like a magnet to Raven's head, traveling at great speed as before. This time, however, the girl chose not to stop it and instead, floated to one side, letting it continue toward the edge. The rest of the team all shouted out simultaneously.

"Oh, no!"

The ball soared over the tower's roof, and plummeted toward the rocks of the shore, bouncing from rock to rock until it came to a stop inside a crevice, preventing it from reaching the waters.

"I'll get it," Beast Boy volunteered while the others groaned. The changeling trudged toward the edge, attempting to peer over but is suddenly stopped by the reappearance of the ball, sailing its way back from below to roll across the concrete and stop right at his feet. Blinking in confusion, he searched around with a puzzled look, while something begins to rumble from down below. His eyes shifted upward to a slender silhouette, rising into view with long hair blowing in the breeze, and hands upon hips, standing upon a floating object.

"So," the female voice rose from the shadowed figure, moving the object that now could easily be seen as a rock toward the team. With a half-smile perched upon her lips. "Which team am I on?"

Clad in a pair of denim shorts, and her traditional hiking boots, rising up to a new black crop-top turtleneck, with long sleeves and a yellow-orange Titan insignia on the chest, the same leather gloves, a matching belt, and a new pair of goggles around her neck, the girl tossed her hair back, viewing the team she had left.

"Terra!" Raven turned to view the shout that erupted from both Starfire and Beast Boy, witnessing them run like children toward the girl. Like a war, the two fought to reach her fist. In the end, it was the Tamaranian's Starbolts that stopped the changeling dead in his tracks, resulting in a devastating, and bone-crushing hug for the blonde haired elementalist. She quickly buried her emotions, reverting back to her old self. What, did she just expect to come back, and everything would be okay, like nothing ever happened? A light conversation followed that Raven herself found no interest in, until Beast Boy shouted in her direction.

"Raven, wake up! Terra's back! Isn't that awesome?"

"Super," Raven's voice became suddenly sarcastic. "Just help yourself to the fridge, and don't forget to lock the door when you leave."

She hadn't meant for her voice to sound so cold and distant, but she suddenly couldn't help her emotions from showing. Had she truly been that hurt from her departure to treat the girl in such a cold way? True, she herself was never one to be the happy or welcoming type, but she did feel slightly better knowing the girl was back, and well. Raven hoped that the rest of the day would hopefully leave her to meditate more, and express less of her emotions. How quickly her hopes would be dropped.

**xXxXxXxXx**

"No!" Raven quickly cried out, as she threw her arms, preventing the rock that Terra had summoned to smash the very console computer that could have stopped the tower from sinking into the ground. Later that day, Slade had appeared and attempted to destroy Titan's Tower by literally pulling out the rock from underneath it. Snake-like machines coursed through the bottom of the city, and made tunnels directly underneath Titan's Tower, with a giant drill attempting to dig its way above ground. The result of which would aid in the falling of the tower, unless Raven stopped the very console that could stop it from being smashed.

"We don't know how this thing words. Destroy the controls, and we might never be able to stop it," Raven quickly shouted to the girl, keeping her hold over the rock Terra attempted to bring down.

"Or we might stop it sooner and save our home," Terra sighed, putting more effort into trying to move the weight on one end. Raven increases her own resistance and small fragments being to fall around them as a result of the strain. "Why can't you just trust me?"

"Because you don't deserve it!" Raven spat out, her emotions suddenly rising as a result of lack of meditation. "I have to meditate every day to keep my powers under control. And I'm supposed to believe that you can just suddenly control yours? Trust is something you have to earn!"

"How?" Terra asked, her eyes softening lightly. "How do I earn it?"

"You can start by trusting me," she stated firmly, bolding the last part to the fullest. Terra debated nearly nine to ten times within the span of a second, before relaxing her hold over the stone. Raven did likewise, and allowed it crash upon the walkway. A sudden violent shake would have the cutting laser slice through a large portion of rock from the ceiling, forcing the girls to look up, and then back toward the beeping console, which blinked out an alarm. A second later, the gigantic piece of stone fell from above, and crushed the console upon impact. Sparks fly out from everywhere while the girls were thrown backward. The consequence of the console's destruction resulted in an even wider beam from the drill, cutting even more rock from beneath the tower. Both girls rose to their feet, with Terra smiling nervously.

"Okay, maybe smashing the computer was a bad idea," she agreed, while another large portion of rock began to fall. An even larger mass of rock began to fall, right where the drill was located, which was the very foundation of the tower.

"We have to go," Raven quickly shouted, turning toward the nearest exit. "There's nothing we can do now!"

"Yes there is," Terra argued, while her eyes glowed brightly. "Trust me!"

Down it came. With her hands clenched tightly, Terra threw her hands upward, and with a shout, brought twin beams from her hands to shoo upward, toward the falling rock, halting in its tracks. The girl struggled against the weight, and soon it became too much, beginning to drop once again. Her knees began to buckle, just as Raven stepped up next to her with both her hands loaded for bear.

"Az'rath, Metrion, Xinthos!" 

A black beam of energy followed Terra's yellow light, forcing the rock to stop once again from falling. Terra finally straightened herself, feeling the pressure equally divided between them. Terra spared a glance to the sorceress of Azarath, whom merely looked up to her target, driven by determination. Her serious look made the girl smile as she turned her focus back onto the rock. With another cry, the two let loose their powers, forcing the rock as well as their home right back into place.

**xXxXxXxXx**

"So," Terra said, while her eyes remained upon the carpet. Terra had spent the night on the couch again, and when it came time to sleep for the next day, Raven had suggested the two go for a walk so they could converse. They had kept relatively quiet since their little argument the day before, but for some reason, Terra felt rather comfortable around the silent sorceress. She felt that the sorceress herself also enjoyed the silence, since she herself rarely spoke. "Friends?"

"Close enough," Raven relayed with rye humor, to which Terra was well accustomed. The girl let out a hesitant smile, throwing a hand behind her head.

"Sorry we got off to a rocky start," she apologized, not intending in the pun. She noted the girl's light snicker, and her smile grew slightly.

"Actually, I thought things went pretty well," Raven admitted honestly, the two having walked nearly the length of the tower to the other end of the hallway, passed all the rooms of the towers occupants, toward a part of the tower which Terra had never been. "It took me a year to stop hating Beast Boy."

The two shared a laugh, another feeling of comfort filling over them. Raven's light chuckle, and Terra's giggle seemed to mesh well with one another. Raven came to a stop in front of a door, forcing Terra to do like wise. While her cloak parted, the sorceress' hand was placed upon the a side panel console, a green light beeping twice before the door opened, revealing a dark and shadowed room.

"Um," Terra was slightly confused to where Raven had begun to take her, but followed nonetheless, only assuming that she had wanted to talk with her. The actual lack of conversation proved that there was something else the sorceress had planned for her, and she couldn't help but be curious to what it was. "Where are we?"

"Your room," Raven said flatly, while flipping the light-switch on. Terra's eyes widened in amazement to the mountain landscape under a starry night sky painted all across the walls of the room. A big green bed at the far end of the wall, a cactus next to it, bookshelves, a large couch, and a coffee table facing the window. Inside held the rest of the Titans Team, Raven feeling the need to be the one to lead the girl to her new home.

"Surprise!" The Titan's team quickly shouted. Terra finally found her voice, taking a cautious step forward.

"You guys did all this … for me?" She couldn't believe it. She had expected maybe a simple room if and when they decided to take her it, but this … this was just too much.

"Yea," Beast Boy nodded while sliding to her, blushing lightly and cocking his eyebrows. "Since you helped save our home and all, we thought you deserved your own room."

"You also deserve one of these," Robin's voice came up as, for the second time, he opened his closed glove, which held the Titans Communicator Terra had dropped in their first attempts to get her to join. Hesitant at first, Terra took the communicator, and this time held onto it tightly while looking wonderingly down at it in her palm.

"So, I'm …" Terra started, as she turned up to view the face of her new friends.

"A Teen Titan," Robin confirmed, holding out his hand in commemoration to the girl. "Glad to have you on the team." Terra smiled wearily, and shook the team leader's hand with a firm hold.

"Aw yeah! Very nice!" Cyborg shouted, raising his hand in triumph.

"This is the best thing that's ever happened to me," Beast Boy blushed, with hearts erupting from his eyes.

"Welcome, new Titan!" Starfire exclaimed, clapping her hands to the joyous occasion.

"Congratulations, Terra," Raven half smirked, arching a brow to the rather … selfish changeling. She let a smile play out on her lips while turning to the girl. "You've earned it."

Their newest teammate gave her a gratified smile, one to which Raven enjoyed, and looked forward to seeing more of.

"All right," Cyborg quickly shouted, gathering the team's attention. "There's only one way to commemorate such a momentous occasion … Waffles!"

"Mmm," Robin grinned while rubbing his growling stomach at the mention of food, the team quickly following the half-metal teen toward the kitchen.

"Perfect," Starfire's voice could be heard from the hallway, which Beast Boy's own followed suit.

"Can they be non-dairy waffles?" Terra half smiled at the changeling's constant antics toward anything containing meat or dairy.

"Sounds good," Terra announced with her back to the group, viewing the art before her. "I'll catch up in a minute, okay?"

"Everything alright?" Came the voice of the sorceress behind her, who had yet to leave for their late breakfast.

"Yea, everything's fine," Terra was quick to answer, which Raven half caught as a lie, or simply due to her amazement of the room. "Who painted it?"

Terra turned when the sorceress hadn't answered, parting the cloak that she had kept closed the entire time. Yellow, brown, white, and orange clashed at her once black leotard; her hands must having been cleaned since the incident.

"I'll have you know I ruined a nice set of clothes just for you," Raven relayed with the same humor once again, to which Terra couldn't help but smile over. The girl retracted her hands, allowing her cloak to shadow over the mess underneath.

"Thank you," Terra nodded her head to the girl. "It's beautiful. I can't believe you, of all people, painted this."

"What is it you're getting at?" The sorceress quirked a brow in slight amusement, while Terra threw her hands out in her own defense, fearing the wrath of Raven.

"No-no-no!" She quickly shouted, shaking her head quickly. "I only meant I didn't really expect you to be the one to put so much effort into your work … wait, no. I didn't mean it to sound like you don't put effort into anything, I just meant I didn't think you'd-"

"I know what you mean," Raven quickly raised a hand, interrupting the girl's stumbling of words. "And you're welcome. I just so happen to enjoy art."

With that, Raven turned toward the kitchen, where already a fight seemed to ensue. Terra remained focused upon the wall, still baffled by the sheer brilliance of art and likeness to her favorite scenery.

"I don't believe it," Terra gapped after a few moments, letting her view drop slightly with a look of guilt expressed upon her features. "They actually trust me."

**xXxXxXxXx**

"Az'rath, Metrion, Xinthos … Az'rath, Metrion, Xinth-"

"Does that really help you control your powers?" Terra's voice interrupted the sorceress in mid chant. From the living room she hovered, facing the ocean, and the starlit sky. Robin had asked Starfire out on a date for the first time, which slightly irritated the sorceress. She had planned to spend the day with Koriand'r, learning of her heritage, after their meditation session. Now it seemed out of her excitement, the Princess simply forgot of their plans and agreed to Robin's proposal, which left her feeling alone in the process. With Beast Boy and Cyborg checking out a new arcade, it left Terra and Raven alone in the tower, the blonde's constant child-like attitude to lead toward boredom when nothing of interest was placed upon the television.

"Yes, it does," Raven relayed dryly while her eyes remained closed, keeping her monotone-like appearance. Silence followed, and before Raven could attempt to continue, Terra's voice woke her once again.

"Think you could teach me to meditate?" This broke Raven from her half-dead trance, arching one eye to half-lid, eyeing the girl's bright sapphire eyes, which held the boredom that melded in her tone of voice. A half smirk rose upon her lips, and Raven turned her cross-legged stance toward her, nodding her head.

"Sure," Raven replied. Perhaps this wasn't going to be such a bad night after all.

**xXxXxXxXx**

"This is how I clear my head," Terra stated later that night, while the two were laid upon the top of Titan's tower, viewing the brightly lit sky. They were perpendicular to each other, heads lying inches from each other while their bodies stretched in opposing directions. The stars were bright, and clashed well against their midnight blue background. Lying next to one another, both holding their heads in their palms, each focused their view upward, while sharing a moment of silent conversation.

"I could get used to this," Raven admitted with new trademark half-smirk, one of which Terra noticed had begun to rise more upon occasion. Content and comfortable sighs were released by the women, with another moment of silence falling over them.

"Raven?" Another clash against the silence, but Raven didn't mind in the least. She was beginning to learn that too much silence could be a bad thing. She let out a light 'hmm' before Terra continued her question. "What do you think of Beast Boy?"

She let out a light chuckle, which later ensued an eruption of laughter. She didn't know why she had felt the question humorous but quite frankly, she couldn't help herself from laughing. It sounded as if she were asking if she had feelings toward the boy.

"He's good for a laugh," Raven admitted, meaning more toward his klutz-like antics than his actual humor. "Bad at jokes, but a good friend all around."

"I see," Terra seemed to take in the answer for only a second before asking another. "And what about you and Starfire?"

"Koriand'r?" Raven had to pause in order to answer, for she herself never really thought about it. Sure, the girl was her closest companion among all the Titan members, and sure, she was more than simply distraught over the fact that she had simply abandoned her at the tower to go on a date with their leader. She frowned at the thought. It seemed once again she ran second to her leader upon the Tamaranian's list.

"Raven?" Realization hit her, which she had yet to respond to the girl.

"She's a close friend," Raven felt herself relay without hesitation, more out of reflex than anything else.

"Just a close friend?" Terra noted the change in tone over the girl's voice, knowing she wasn't getting the full truth from the sorceress.

"What's with the questions?" Raven's head tilted toward the girl, irritation set upon her features. In fear of ruining their once friendly outing, Terra shrugged her shoulders, shifting her eyes back toward the sky.

"I think Beast Boy likes me," Terra confessed. "I mean … really likes me."

"Is it that obvious?" Raven's sarcasm seemed to return, though Terra still heard the tone in which she had held slight offense to earlier. "I hadn't noticed."

"Everything alright with you, Raven?" Terra now turned to her side to view the girl fully, resting her head upon a propped arm, while her other hand was placed onto her side. Raven regretted turning to her, her eyes focusing upon the full sapphire hues, almost in a trance-like state that forced her to shake her head fully in order to awaken her back to her senses.

"Peachy," another answer that seemed to sprout without her own consent. Abnormal reply from the sorceress resulted in a furrowed brow of the elementalist, who simply stared down the girl before her. Raven reached back and pulled up the hood to her cloak, which shadowed over her eyes. She heard the girl sigh and suddenly felt a tug at the rim of her cloak. Blinking, she viewed the blonde's bright hues hovering upside-down over her while she pulled the hood to her cloak back fully.

"You shouldn't hide your face," Terra admitted while smiling. "Your eyes are very beautiful."

"As are yours," Raven's own words seemed to come from nowhere. It was as if someone else had said them, and placed them into a synthesizer to make it sound like it had been her own. Her eyes widened in shock, while Terra's own façade seemed to warm. Raven instantly sat up, pulling away from the grasp of the elementalist, pulling her hood back on quickly to overshadow her eyes, noticing her heart rate instantly racing. Why the hell did she say that?

"I knew there was something about you," she heard the voice behind her call out to her back. Terra smiled lightly while her head tilted to the side. She had noticed for far too long the new distaste she held for Beast Boy and Robin whenever they attempted to flirt with herself and Starfire. Jealousy was one thing Terra had never thought of, but now … her smile began to fill her face.

"There's nothing about me," Raven was quick in her attempt to vacate the accusations Terra had come to assume, though even she herself started to doubt her own words.

"Oh, there's something alright," she heard as she felt a hand upon her shoulder slowly forcing her to turn, staring intently into the slightly taller blonde's eyes. "And I wanna find out what."

**xXxXxXxXx**

"I'm out…" Terra's voice sounded over the small speaker a few days later, which was implanted into the mask of the mercenary. Slade stood calmly in front of the screen that flashed before her, while she attempted to appear cool, calm, and collected. Slade's eyes lowered, a frown evident behind the orange and black mask. "I … I don't want to be apart of your plans anymore."

"Is that so," the man's voice was overly calm, which sent shivers down the girl's spine. Ever since her training with the martial artist to control her powers, his attitude toward life simply scared her. True, he was a man of his word, but ruthless nonetheless.

"I don't think I can go through with this," Terra attempted toward persuasion, feeling that she truly couldn't turn on her friends. "I don't want to hurt them."

"Listen to me, Terra," Slade's calm voice came back over the speaker in her ear, which was hidden by her long blonde mane. "I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to do."

"You … you wont?" Terra couldn't believe what she had just heard.

"Of course not, my child," Slade stated, while keeping his eyes focused upon the picture before him. "However, I do expect something in return. I did train you, after all."

"Something in return?" Terra's stomach turned. He did help her … he had helped her out quite a bit. She had become so much stronger since she had last seen the Titans, and it was only fair to return the favor.

"I want you to turn off the security system in Titans Tower tonight," Slade said, his voice more demanding than asking. Terra hesitated to answer, her brows lowering in worry. "If you don't, I'm not certain I can keep the secret of your true identity any longer."

"What? No, you can't!" Terra shouted, but quickly attempted to keep her voice down, hearing the sounds of footsteps just down the hallway from her room.

"Terra, everything okay in there?" It was Beast Boy. Damn, he always had bad timing.

"Yea, everything's fine, I just uh … bumped my leg on um … something," she quickly shouted to the closed door. Silence lasted for a moment before the teen's voice called back.

"Alright, well … the rest of us are gonna watch a movie, you wanna join us?" She hadn't though her voice was that convincing, but apparently the changeling liked her enough not to notice … or he was simply dumbfounded.

"Not right now, I'm right in the middle of something," she quickly shouted back, noting the mercenary rolling his eyes on the other side of the viewing screen of the hand held communicator.

"Okay, maybe later?" Damn it, Beast Boy, do you have to do this right now?

"Sure, later sounds good," Terra quickly replied. Footsteps walking passed her door and out of sounds reach relieved her, and she quickly turned back to the small monitor in the center of her palm. "Please, you can't tell anyone!"

"Calm down, my child," Slade's voice was calm and cool, similar to what Terra had attempted to sound like when she initiated the call. "I'm hoping it doesn't come to that. All I'm asking of you is to turn off the security system after the Titans go to bed."

"What … what are you planning to do?" Terra's voice was shaky, completely shattering her earlier attempts of keeping herself brave. She feared for her friends' safety.

"I'm only going to hack into their system to delete any information they have on me. I don't plan on staying in this city too much longer," Slade admitted to the screen before him, his hands clasped behind his back as they always were.

"You're … you're leaving?" Once again, Terra's ears tried to deceive her. She watched as the man nodded on the other side.

"I have grown tired of fighting with the Titans," Slade continued on. "I fear this will simply become an endless battle, one of which I feel I am to old to continue with. I guess you could say I've grown quite tired of Jump City."

Terra couldn't believe it. Slade … leave Jump City? For good? She was at a loss for words, while viewing the cold eyes of the mercenary, which hadn't changed in expression since she had made the call. Maybe she truly could get the second chance she desired so much.

"Wow, thank you, Slade …"

"Oh, and Terra," Slade's voice came up just before she closed the lid, relaying something that would later scare the blonde half to death. "Keep in touch…"

**xXxXxXxXx**

Raven's eyes flashed open immediately, waking quickly from her silent slumber. The girl's lavender strands parted to the side while she quickly shot upward, determined to find out just what it was that awoke her. She quickly scanned her room while holding the gray tone sheet to her chest, brows furrowed in slight annoyance. Her eyes were well adjusted to the shadows of the room, but she noticed nothing out of place, or anything that would have woken her from her dreams. Tap! A sound at her window. Lilac eyes quickly shifted to her left toward the window, removing the sheeted blanket from her torso, revealing the black skin-layered leotard she chose to sleep in. To the window she walked, wondering what exactly it was that could have hit her window. She opened it to view the blonde haired elementalist sitting cross-legged on a rock, with a serious look upon her features. It soon diminished when she noticed the girl had finally awoke, replacing it with the half smirk-like smile she was well known for.

"You sleep in that too?" Terra joked, while lifting the rock up to the sorceress' window. Raven regarded the girl with a light frown, to which simply added in the girl's smirk.

"What are you doing out here this late?" Raven asked, rubbing her eyes slightly, then crossed her arms over her chest and straightening her back.

"I wanted to see if Raven could come out to play," Terra teased. Raven arched a brow, never really understanding the girl's antics.

"It's late," Raven replied as her hands moved toward the window in an attempt to close it. Terra's face pouted lightly, but returned to the smirk, quickly relaying a message before the window closed.

"I can keep throwing rocks at your window all night, you know," the sorceress heard, just as she shut the window. She frowned at the girl, quickly closing the curtains; another tap sounding at her window, just as she had shut it. The sorceress shook her head at the girl's immaturity, letting out a sigh while she dragged her body back toward her bed. Another tap, followed by several others before she could even make it to her mattress. Another sigh followed before Raven altered her course, and walked toward her closet to retract her cloak.

_**End Part II**_


	4. Master Of Puppets

**Prophecy of Awakening I **

**Demonic Awakening III **

Master of Puppets

**xXxXxXxXx **

"You can't tell me the only thing you digest is tea," Terra said with light mirth, while an eyebrow rose to the sorceress' order of herbal tea. She had coaxed the sorceress finally in coming out with her, and though she had remained silent all the way to the small restaurant just passed Jump City's line, close to where the Titans had first found her.

"Would you be surprised if I said yes?" Raven asked, while cupping her chin in her hands. A silver spoon was wrapped in her black magic, which swirled around the contents of tea and sugar.

"Not at all," Terra smiled, while leaning back against the booth, her eyes shifting toward the window on her right, and the view of the dirt and mountains behind it. A forecast reflection was slightly visible through the clear glass, showing the occupants of the restaurant; from the mild manners patrons, to the truck driver sitting at the counter, the waitress taking his order, and the black and orange masked mercenary leaning against the glass on the other side of the counter. Sapphire hues quickly widened in shock, turning her head fast enough to snap it straight off to where the man would have stood.

No one. Her heart raced faster than she thought possible, the amount of fear Slade had placed in her enough to send her into shock if she had actually seen him there. Slowly, her breathing calmed, focusing upon the staring sorceress, who merely blinked at her actions.

"Everything alright?" Raven asked. "You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"Yea," Terra replied nervously. "Hey, let's get out of here."

Before the sorceress could reply, she grasped the girl's wrist tightly, pulling her up from her seat, and nearly dragging her out the front door.

"I didn't finish my tea," the staggering dark magus replied halfway out the door. "And we didn't even pay!"

**xXxXxXxXx**

The amusement park was abandoned, with no lights lit but the stars in the sky, shining down upon the darkened district. Terra sat across from Raven inside the small booth of the Ferris wheel, the sorceress once again retaining her tongue since her initial dragging from the restaurant. Terra let out a light sigh, hoping this night would have been better than this.

"Raven?" Terra asked, her eyes focused upon the floorboards of the lifting booth. Raven hadn't turned her vision from the side of the booth, her arm resting on the window's edge but let out a light 'hmm' to know that she was indeed listening. "Can sins be forgiven?"

"Can sins be forgiven?" Raven thought deeply over the girl's question before relaying an answer. "I believe if one makes a mistake, upon realization of their mistake and in taking full responsibility of their mistake, the person is instantly forgiven."

It was true. Raven truly was the wisest person she ever knew. Was it that factor that attracted the blonde to the sorceress? Or was it the fact that she loved the fact that the gothic princess would get jealous over Beast Boy's flirtatious attitude? Terra truly didn't know, but she knew she loved being around the girl, morbid as she was. Though the girl always hid her emotions and feelings from most, as well as Terra herself, she felt that she was lucky to see a side of Raven no one else was privileged to see … sometimes … on occasion. Like the time she had spent with her on the roof of the tower.

"Is it really that easy?" Terra asked, not lifting her eyes to view the sorceress, whose attention seemed locked upon the scene outside of their small booth. Raven finally turned her gaze toward the girl, her brows pinching slightly together.

"It always depends on the character," Raven said flatly. "Everyone's made mistakes. The hardest part about it, however, is admitting you've made the mistake, taking responsibility for it, and deciding what it is you're going to do about it."

Terra seemed to take deep thought in the girl's wise words, a slight twitch in her expression showing she truly understood what the sorceress had to say.

"Anyone can say they've made a mistake, Terra," Raven continued, while leaning in slightly. Her arms rested on her knees while her back arched forward. "But when it comes down to it, it's a matter of action, not words that will give you the forgiveness you seek."

"Thanks, Raven," Terra finally replied, her eyes shifting up to the girl's dark purple eyes. Raven nodded her head, leaning back against the chair of the cart, while it continued to take them up the circular structure. "Thanks for coming out with me tonight, too."

"I don't think I would have gotten sleep in either case," Raven said dryly, back into her monotone attitude. "Plus … it wasn't all that bad."

Terra knew the girl long enough to know the sounds of a compliment when it came. She quickly smiled; though finally noticed where it was Raven had been looking this entire time. Terra's eyes shifted skyward, to the crescent moon overhead, the clouds slowly moving to overtake the bright white sphere.

"The moon looks beautiful tonight," Terra said lamely while kicking herself inwardly for attempting to ruin a perfectly good silent moment with her terrible communicational skills. Even still, she couldn't help but be curious of the moon dragging away her sorceress' attention. "Does it remind you of something?"

"Home," Raven found her voice admitting before her brain even registered the thought. Catching herself, she decided to continue with her words rather than suddenly burry her thoughts as well as her voice when they were supposed to be enjoying themselves. "I can't remember my home too much … but every time I see the moon, it reminds me of when I was little. I used to stare at it all the time from where I lived. No matter how much around me has changed, no matter how much I've changed, the view of the moon never does for me." Silence fell over them once again.

"Raven," Terra finally spoke after another full minute of silence. "There's something I have to-"

"The past is behind you," Raven quickly stated as she averted her view of the moon. Memories of her fallen home reminded her of the pained look that expressed over the blonde's features. The girl no doubt had some sort of dilemma in the past that had something to do with her uncontrollable powers. Raven had a good idea of just how heavy a burden consequence was. "The only way to live your life is to look forward. Live your life with absolutely no regrets."

"No regrets," Terra repeated while her eyes remained focused forward, directly into Raven's own. Her thoughts were shredded as she became fully lost in a pool of dark lavender, her lids lowering slightly while a utopia feeling settled at the pit of her stomach. Her palms became sweaty while they gripped the seat she sat upon, her weight moving forward ever so slowly. The sorceress hadn't budged since her short speech, which was beginning to feel like eons ago. This was it. If she wanted to make a move, now was the time. She didn't know how the sorceress would react, but she herself had informed her that she should live life with absolutely no regrets. Despite all logic in her brain, Terra leaned forward, reaching her right hand out to grasp the sorceress' slim ashen tone digits. Raven's eyes followed the girl's actions, widening slightly as they moved from the girl's hands to the intense gaze that followed, her lips parting to speak but no words flowed through.

"Hello, Tara," came a deep voice to Terra's left gathering the attention of both occupants of the cart. The dark silhouette moved into the cart with ease, the light shinning over a black and orange mask, with the single eye glaring toward the blonde. The two stood immediately, with Raven instinctively moving in front of Terra, throwing her arms up in defense. "Remember me?"

Raven sacrificed a second to look over her shoulder to the fearful Terra, only seeing her as fearful once before. The sorceress turned back to Slade, her eyes lowering in hate, but quickly attempted to control her emotions and pivoted her boots to get a good grip on the flooring for quick action if the man lashed out at them.

"I have plans for you, Tara," Slade stated firmly, shifting his one eye from Raven back to the blonde. "Did you think you and your little girlfriend could just run away?"

Slade made a reach for the girl but Raven was faster with her movements, fully prepared for the mercenary's attack. Her palm rejected his touch at the wrist, and her other hand shout outward, her palm smacking into his chest with a black energy expulsion to follow. The force was enough to send the mercenary back toward the door he had jumped through, shaking the cart the three stood in.

"You're not going to touch her! **Az'rath, Metrion, Xinthos!**" Raven cried out as her eyes flash black, extending her arm outward as a black spiral energy beam began to sprout. A claw of black energy smashed into the mercenary and completely shattered the side of the cart. Slade was strong, however, and with a quick shout his arms broke free of the prison and landed safely on the roof of the next card, standing as confident and cocky as he always did. Raven glared hatefully down to the man, not looking back to the blonde as she called back to her.

"Terra! Run!" She quickly commanded while she leaped from the cart down to the roof of the next, following in the mercenary's footsteps. She noticed Slade's eyes travel back to the blonde elementalist, shouting out his own command over Raven's.

"Stay where you are, child," he shouted, then returned his glare toward the sorceress. Raven looked from Slade to Terra, who stood clenched to the side of the shredded cart, with a look of pure fear toward the man.

"What do you want with her?" Raven demanded to know, swinging her arm out from behind her cloak. The man regarded the sorceress with a look of surprise, his voice as calm as ever.

"You mean," he started as his eyes trailed back to the blonde. "She didn't tell you? I thought you two were friends."

Raven was caught off guard by Slade's words, and received the back end of his metal staff to her stomach, the force well more than enough to send her body far over the edge of the roof. Quickly gathering her emotions, her powers forced her afloat, and quickly hurled herself skyward, a few yards out of Slade's reach.

"**Az'rath, Metrion, Xinthos!**" Raven chanted out while her eyes grew black once again. The support beams that held the cart Slade stood upon became engulfed in Raven's magic and suddenly imploded. Metal shards erupted and the cart suddenly teetered outward with a loud cry of metal grinding against metal. Slade leaped from the cart to the roof of the one Terra stood upon, and Raven quickly flew up higher, just as the cart below it crashed to the ground. With a twirl of his staff, Slade reached behind his belt and threw his arm outward, with a wire shooting out to the flying sorceress, wrapping around her neck before she could even process a thought. With a rough tug, he brought the girl down to his level, crashing down onto the roof of the cart, shaking it even more so.

Slade ran forward, winding his leg back and throwing a devastating kick to the girl's midsection while she was down. Raven was fast enough to raise her arms, catching most of the blow to her forearms. The force was enough to send her upward again, and her arms were thrown to her side, her magic instantly catching her into flight once again. Slade glared at the girl while she levitated above him, lowering his stance while he prepared for another attack. Terra's head was peeked over the window, looking up to view the sorceress. Raven took a moment to glance down at the girl and was suddenly tackled by Slade, who had leaped from his crouched stance. While they fell, Slade moved apart and extended his legs to the girl's midsection, sending her falling at a faster rate while he pushed off the girl and back-flipped onto a metal girder that held the structure together.

"You think you know her," Slade called out to the sorceress as she began to drag herself up from the dirt pile she had landed in. Raven defiantly stared down the mercenary, forcing herself to a stand and quickly taking flight, the two weaving from rooftop to rooftop, along the sign and all throughout the Big Wheel. "You know nothing!"

Another near miss as Raven's extended arm nearly decked off Slade's head, the black-attired man having leaped off the rooftop of another cart, landing safely onto the next rising one. Raven quickly followed suit, her speed nearly doubling in an instant. The small girl wound up her long well toned leg and swung at his head. Slade crouched under the kick and quickly brought his arm up to block the back end of her other leg, the girl's body twisting in mid air to deliver a spinning back kick. The mercenary grasped the girl's ankle and turned his body, slamming her back first onto the floor, leaving an indent where she landed. He pinned the girl with a foot on her chest, pressing all his weight down while he leaned over, glaring an equal expression of hate.

"She never even liked you," his voice called out low enough for the sorceress to hear. Raven's eyes flared black, while she gripped the man's boot, struggling against his weight. With a mighty cry, a black aura exploded around her, completely shredding the cart they stood upon to pieces and sending the mercenary flying outward. Catching his balance in mid flight, he arched his form about and redirected himself to land on the moving metal girder of the wheel. Raven's form levitated while pieces of the cart fell to the ground, breathing heavily while she attempted to regain some energy.

"Raven, come on!"

Raven turned to view the blonde much higher up than herself, standing on a piece of uplifted Earth, her hand extended in her direction. Her expression revealed just how much of a strain the night had turned out for her, and Raven simply glared back to the man that had ruined their perfect night.

"Not so fast!" Slade screamed as he threw his arm out with another wire shooting toward the sorceress. This one wrapped around her ankle and instantly tightened. With a quick maneuver, Slade jumped back, using the edge of the girder to his advantage. His weight pulled the sorceress to where he once stood, smashing her stomach into the metal support beam. Using the same momentum, Slade swung himself right back to where he was, grabbing a handful of dark violet strands and pulling her up. Blood dripped from her lips while her eyes became glazed over. He threw the girl to a side support beam and quickly followed up with a thrust punch to her chest, knocking the wind from her lungs. Slade brought both hands up to crush the girl's skull in, his fingers interlocking together as they rose far above his head. A baseball sized rock suddenly smashed into the side of his head, nearly knocking him right off the support beam. Another rock attempted to take his head off, which he easily swatted to pieces, turning to face the blonde haired elementalist staring intently at him.

"Raven! Fly!" Terra quickly shouted while her eyes flashed yellow. Partially out of it, the sorceress flung her body to the right, gathering her magic and forcing herself to take flight. Slade swung his head to his target then daringly back to the young blonde just as her arms rose together.

"Terra! No!" Slade's order threw a bit of fear into her, but she didn't falter in the least as the supports began to buckle. In an instant the Earth beneath the large structure shook and down it came, lifting first then completely falling apart, with Slade falling into the large dust cloud that followed. Raven's magic had only taken her so far before she levitated herself to the ground, holding her chest as her lungs forced up a portion of blood. She covered her mouth as she continued to cough, the dust simply irritating her lungs further. A slim arm wrapped around her midsection while her own was thrown over the blonde's neck, Terra quickly rushing the two away from the catastrophe.

Terra dragged Raven passed the bumper cars, and a house of mirrors. A quick glance to her left revealed a nice hiding spot and the blonde continued to drag the staggering sorceress alongside her toward the building on her left. Darkness greeted them, along with mirrors in every direction. Her own panting echoed through the endless hallway, and Terra scurried through the maze of mirrors, glancing every now and then to the dazed Raven.

"We need to call for backup," Raven finally spoke, forcing herself to a stand and relieving her weight from Terra's shoulder. She reached behind her cloak, finding no communicator. "Damn, must have dropped it during the fight. Quick, give me your communicator."

"I … I don't have it," Terra stammered out. Raven let out a mild curse while slamming her closed fist into a mirror, forcing a spider web effect.

"Damn it," she shouted afterward, finally noticing how fatigued she was. Raven attempted to calm herself within seconds, and then turned her vision to Terra. "We have to get back to the tower and-"

"Raven, I'm not going back," Terra suddenly butted in while her vision fell. A patch of blonde fell from her right ear where her butterfly-clip once held, covering that side of her face. "I can't."

"What?" Raven blinked twice, giving her a look as if she hadn't heard the girl right. "Why can't you?"

"Because she's not your friend," echoed Slade's voice, forcing Raven to turn instantly toward a mirrored image of the mercenary. All around her, Raven found the overconfident façade of Slade, which simply fueled her anger further. The sorceress pushed forward cautiously, examining every image of the man, looking for the reflection's source. "She's my apprentice."

Footsteps sounded all around her, forcing Raven to turn about, finding nothing but reflection upon reflection.

"Terra?" The blonde was nowhere to be seen. "Terra!"

"The girl you knew was merely an illusion," the voice echoed once again. The young girl's attention was brought to the several reflections of the mercenary, who stood as firm as he had when he first appeared, forcing a growl to escape Raven's throat. "In reality, she's been working for me."

"That's a lie!" Raven growled, her fist smashing into a mirror and shattering it completely with one single punch. The image fell, though the man still remained all around her. Raven growled, cocking back her fist once again.

"I found her," he continued, with another smash echoing throughout the hallway. "I trained her to control her impressive powers."

Smash. More glass pieces fell to the floor, cracking underneath Raven's azure leather boots.

"And then I sent her to destroy your little T," followed by another smash. "From the inside out."

Another image shattered. Realization soon hit Raven as she slowly backed away. Broken glass, and a horrible stench of karma surrounded her with nearly all the mirrors shattered.

"N-no!" Raven stuttered out, fear quickly filling her. "Terra would never-"

From behind the sorceress, one mirror remained intact, with a clear view of the reflective image of Slade, who lowered his view to the girl.

"Tonight her orders were to turn off the security system in the tower," he quickly interrupted the girl in mid sentence, with Raven turning to face the image before her. "But I guess she took pity on you. Perhaps she wanted to keep you as a pet."

Raven's eyes lowered to the ground, her entire body trembling uncontrollably. Was this the truth? No … it couldn't be. Lies … nothing but lies!

"However, despite this minor error in judgment, she _was_ kind enough to deactivate the security at Titans Tower," Slade continued as Raven's eyes widened in horror.

"Liar!" Raven screamed at the image, which shattered under her powers, forcing shards of glass to rain all over her body. She ignored them, furiously turning about for the psychotic son of a-

"Raven," came the blonde's voice finally, calming the girl slightly as she turned to find the source. "It's the truth."

Raven turned, finding the source of the voice at the single unbroken mirror, which lifted to find the mercenary and said blonde, standing with her hair covering her eyes. Raven looked in disbelief, her whole face faltering and completely shattering her well-known stoic façade.

"Terra … why?" Raven gaped, still unable to comprehend just what it was that was happening around her.

"Because you could never give her what she needs," Slade laughed. Raven's eyes flared black and she leaped for the man, growling loudly. Slade's eyes glared and his hands reached out faster, reaching out to grasp her throat in mid flight. He then hurled her back, passed several shattered mirrors and into a darkened portion of the hallway, coming to a stop at another mirror she hadn't taken her anger out on, sending a web of cracks upward when she landed. Half lidded eyes looked up to the man as he stepped forward, a snarl escaping her throat as she launched forward once again in a burst of black energy.

A beam of red energy suddenly smashed into her chest, knocking her straight through the glass this time and beyond eye's reach. Slade gripped the plasma gun in his hand, aiming it to where the girl landed, continuing to move forward. Terra let out a gasp as she watched the sorceress continue to take a beating, finally deciding to act when Slade readied himself to take aim on the girl again, moving to where she had landed and charged up the plasma gun for a point blank shot.

"No!" Terra quickly shouted, moving up in an attempt to block the man's shot. "I won't let you hurt my friend!"

"Dear child," Slade stated firmly, a smirk evident behind the mask. "You don't have any friends."

Slade pushed the girl out of the way, forcing his gun through the shattered glass, with a single dangling piece falling to the ground. The inner parts of the hallway showed no signs of the sorceress, confusing the mercenary as he pulled back and searched about. A black shadow suddenly flung over the mercenary's back, forcing him to turn around. Dark crimson hues glared more evilly than Slade had ever seen upon the sorceress, filled with hate and rage. The girl's form lifted from the shadows with her cloak stretching far beyond its normal length. The plasma gun was suddenly engulfed in a black mist and shattered in his grasp, the girl's face hidden within the lifted hood. Her cloak stretched further, completely taking in the mercenary. Raven then fell forward, vanishing within the shadows of her own magic, consuming both herself and Slade in a pool of black liquid. In a splash, Terra was left completely alone.

With her actions finally catching up to her, Terra did the one thing she was used to. She ran; ran as fast as she could. Through the maze of mirrors, she sprinted with her hair trailing behind her. Confused and completely lost, she fell to her knees, sobbing while her head was held in her hands and tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Raven," she gaped in between her gasps for air. "Please, Raven, I'm sorry. He just wanted me to turn of the security system so he could delete some files. I didn't know he was planning to do this … I didn't mean for any of this to happen, I'm sorry."

"Then why did you let it?" Raven's harsh tone came up from behind the blonde, her eyes having returned to their normal dark violet hue.

"I … I don't know," Terra admitted honestly. She finally stood, slipping a few strands of blonde behind her right ear. "Slade … he helped me, saved me from myself. He said I owed him, but-"

"So it was all a game?" Raven spat out in distaste with her fingers clenching tightly into two balled up fists. "You were just pretending?"

"No!" Terra quickly defended. "He was the only one who wanted to truly help me. He helped me gain full control over my powers, and he can help you too."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing," Raven shouted as she threw her arms up into the air. Terra had no control of her powers, and Raven far surpassed any lesson she could receive from that … that … she couldn't even come up with a word, she was so furious.

"Raven, please," Terra begged, attempting to reach out to the sorceress with tears now streaming down her cheeks. Raven sidestepped the girl's touch, while she pulled her hood up over her head to shadow her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Raven … I truly am, and I know it's wrong of me to ask for your forgiveness, but you told me earlier tonight that sins could be forgiven. Please … I don't want to lose you as a friend."

"Slade was right," Raven said coldly as she finally considered the girl with a severe glare. "You don't have any friends."

Like a two-by-four smacking her upside the head, Terra's eyes widened while her entire body froze. Her heart suddenly shattered, crumbling into dust. The sorceress turned her back to the girl, allowing the shadows to swallow her up.

"Raven, please, no!"

The sorceress was already gone. Terra's hand was still stretched outward for a few moments, before Slade's shadow emerged from behind the girl's back.

"Raven…" Terra's words were never heard, nor was her sentence completed as she continued to stare in the direction of where she last saw her, hoping to all the gods of heaven that she would return, forgive her, take her in her arms and tell her that everything would be alright.

"Apprentice," the mercenary's cold voice called out to the girl. Terra's back straightened while her hair fell over the right side of her face, covering her sadden sapphire eyes. "Come."

Emotions swirled around the blonde. Anger, hate, distrust, sadness, and several others she couldn't even find a name for. The man had played her like a fool. He had explained to her to stop burning bridges, but he had just burnt her last one. Her head lowered even farther while her brows lowered, her sad expression changing to that of rage.

"You … you lied to me," Terra's voice was quiet, as she shrugged the man's hand from her shoulder, feeling as if it had burned through her skin. "You lied!"

Before Slade had anytime to bring up any sort of remark, Terra's aura exploded around her and forced the rock beneath the marble flooring to lift, quickly smashing through the ceiling of the maze. A look of pure rage expressed upon her features and her hands made a closing motion, slapping them together as the entire building collapsed upon itself. Terra wanted to fall to her knees and cry. She wanted to give up on everything, and explain to Raven that it was all a mistake, that she was terribly sorry for what she had done. But there was no turning back now. In order for her to repent for her sins, she would have to finish exactly what she started, and when the man was spotted several hundred yards away, toward the entrance of the park, she knew what it was she needed to end … Slade's life.

**xXxXxXxXx**

"Raven, where are you? Answer me!" Robin yelled into his communicator while hunched down behind a piece of rubble within the main room of Titans Tower. Lasers were shooting out in all directions while Cyborg and Starfire attempted to fend off the army of Slade's robots who had somehow infiltrated the Tower after the alarm had been set. A green mouse suddenly snuck in underneath the doorway that Cyborg and Starfire attempted to keep shut, which continued to bend inward from the android army's attack. "She's not responding."

"And Terra's not in her room," Beast Boy quickly shouted while reverting back to his human form. Robin cocked a brow while his vision turned to the breaking door.

"Somebody want to explain how _two hundred_ armed robots got past _my_ security?" Cyborg demanded to know while his arm transformed into a sonic cannon. He grasped it with his left hand and shifted his weight while he aimed it toward the door that seemed ready to break. The door was smashed open with several bots pouring out. Cyborg unleashed a devastating blast, which Starfire combined with a beam of green energy from her palms, completely disintegrating them before they stepped foot in the room. The Tamaranian let out a cry and soured through the doorway, with the sound of her starbolts tearing through more armed bots. Cyborg retracted his arm as it reverted back, quickly rushing over to the console next to the door and ripping of its side paneling. After pulling out a few wires, he attempted to reactivate the security system. Further tampering resulted in an electric shock, and a yelp of pain from the half metal Titan. "Can't even access the computer! We're locked out!"

"They are too numerous to fight!" Starfire shouted from beyond the room, while letting out another shout and a barrage of starbolts to follow. Beast Boy clamped his hair, nearly pulling a good chunk out, quickly turning to his leader for support. Robin's brows were forced downward as he stood up from his crouched stance, replacing the communicator to his utility belt. "What shall we do?"

"Fight anyway," Robin quickly shouted, pointing into the direction of the hallway. "Titans! Go!"

The team rushed into the hallway with Robin leading them. With a quick leap, Robin caught one robot with a flying sidekick, while decapitating another with a quick throw of a birdarang. This bought him only a moment as a third aimed to punch at his head. Without even looking, Robin quickly ducked under the strike and came back with a devastating uppercut that lifted the soldier clear off its feet. A brutal kick was then delivered that sent it clear across the room.

"Coming through!"

Robin dove out of the way as a sprinting rhinoceros trampled through the hallway, carrying the half metal Titan who had warned the boy wonder. A beam of energy tore through one bot while Beast Boy's horn tore through another. A plasma gun quickly put a stop to the changeling's path, catching two shots to the large animal's leg. The creature toppled to the floor forcing Cyborg to roll forward, with an army of androids quickly surrounding him. Hoping to his feet, Cyborg slammed his fist into the face of one while spinning quickly and smashing his fist through another. Several more attempted to jump onto his back, but a quick shifting octopus wrapped its tentacles around the three of them, yanking them off and hurling them to the other side of the hallway.

One was suddenly torn in half by a green glowing fist of a furiously enraged Tamaranian redhead, who screamed as her fists collided with another, wrapping her solar energy around her fists and smashing droid after droid. Her fiercely glowing jaded eyes blinked back to normal as they traveled further down the hallway, where three bots suddenly vacated a darkened room, with more coming down from the corner. She let out a gasp, and then glared the five bots down as they rushed toward her direction.

"That is friend Raven's bedroom!" She screamed out, bursting toward them. A quick spin and her boots completely shattered the skull of one, leaping from one to the other and resulting in the same head-exploding effect. She landed in a crouched position after all five bots exploded, standing upright and turning to five more that rounded the corner at the end of the hall. Her feet parted as she summoned two large glowing spheres in her hand, grasping them as the bright green light lit up the hallway. "No one is permitted where Raven slumbers!"

She clasped her hands together, raising them above her head. With a war cry she smashed her closed fists down to the red carpet, completely destroying the floor. An earthquake-like effect traveled all the way down the hallway, first lifting the bots where they stood then lowering them to the floor below. The entire Tower shook from the Tamaranian's power, with her attack doing more harm than good. The floor beneath Cyborg suddenly shook, with a barrage of bots tumbling to the floor below. The half metal Titan followed the same fate, with floor rubble to break his fall. Being the first to stand, Cyborg finally noticed just how outnumbered his team was, viewing the entire hallway of the floor below completely packed with Slade's robots.

He let out a gasp before a large metal beam suddenly struck his head and knocked him right into a wall, nearly straight through it. He regained his composure enough to duck under a punch and delivers one to the android's midsection. He lifted the robot up and threw him in the opposite direction, knocking over three more. One after another the robots leaped onto Cyborg's back while one grappled him into a headlock. Cyborg slammed his back into the wall knocking two off while he reached behind him and ripped the third off, spinning around and launching him into a group of robots.

"Don't know how you guys got in," he grunted as he dodged a punch. "But I know how you're getting out!"

With his right fist cocked back, he let out a yell and crashed through one robot's solar plexus. The robot dropped to the floor in an explosion of sparks. Another leaped onto Cyborg's back once again but is suddenly lifted from the half metal Titan and thrown clear across the room. A large green furred ape roared loudly and pounded two bots with one blow, and wound up his hand for a second strike. The large beast grabbed another and hurled him up through the hole in the floor, only to collide with another that was thrown back by the powerful redhead. Starfire then punched straight through another bot and continued to follow through with her strike, which collided with two more before her fist swung to the right, forcing a total of three robots through the wall with one single strike. Fists and starbolts suddenly flew out in every direction before several reinforcements dropped from out of nowhere, completely overtaking the girl before she had time to think.

The Tamaranian Princess was dropped as several more attempted to crush her against the floor. Struggling with all her might did no good, as the dog pile continued to grow. Her teeth clenched tightly while her eyes sparked a bright green hue with the intensity of the light growing with each passing second. A beam of green light shot through one bot, then another arose. Several more were forced out until a green explosion lit up the hallway, forcing the rest of the bots to smash into the ceiling, and walls, taking out the rest of the group within the hallway. When the glare of light subsided, a furious Starfire breathed heavily with her eyes still glowing a deep forest green hue. Exhaustion suddenly fell over her façade before her levitated stance left, dropping her form to the ground and passing out from the Herculean exertion.

The hallway lights began to flicker, with a small group of survivors gathered around a particular item. One bot clamped a small device to the wall while another began operating a control panel that had been set to the side. A disk suddenly whistled by them and smashed directly into the device, detonated it and threw the robots backward. Robin stood at the end of the hallway with his metal staff in one hand while one of the bots fell at his feet. Another rushed toward him but a simple extend of his staff knocked him back with ease. Another moved in, but a simple twirl of his arms brought the back end of his pole to the cranium of his would-be attacker. The boy wonder leaped up to the ceiling and forcefully brought his weapon of choice down, crashing through the skull of a third. Several more came into view, which brought the Titan's leader to a low growl. With a cry of his own, he swung his staff and charged the four remaining robot androids.

Beams of plasma attempted to shoot him dead in his tracks, but the martial artist was quick, weaving to the left and dodging to the right, shredding the distance between himself and the remaining survivors. With a quick leap, he side kicked one in the side of the head and used the bot to jump to the side, kneeing another with the same leg. Twirling his body in mid air still, his weapon came across at an amazing speed, enough to make a whistling sound, and completely decapitated another. Crouching down to land, he continuously back-flipped out of the reach of the last one, who pulled out a plasma gun to finish the Titan off. The leader simply smirked, while waving his index finger to the robot. A tilt of his head showed the robots confusion, until he noticed the red flashing light at his feet. Its eyes widened a medium sized explosion completely over took its body. When the smoke cleared there was nothing but rubble left.

**xXxXxXxXx**

"Well," Cyborg finally said as the last of Slade's robot army was thrown into the center pile of metal body parts. "Looks like we won."

The entire place had been uplifted, with the ceilings and floors filled with holes. A large section of the main room gave a good sunroof to the gym below, with hanging limbs from Slade's androids hanging limply from the edges. Small sparks were erupting from severed wires while Cyborg began to fiddle with a side panel on his robotic arm.

"Then why does it not feel like a victory?" Starfire asked sadly, as she levitated to the floor uneasily, grasping one arm and rubbing it slightly. Robin sighed as his view shifted to the floor, rubbing the back of his neck where the butt end of a plasma gun had struck.

"I've regained access to the computer," Cyborg spoke out after a few moments. "Security codes and encryption strings have all been reset."

"Yea, and all of Slade's surveillance stuff's gone," Beast Boy added in, while Starfire nodded along.

"Yes, all of his technology has been located and destroyed," she added in, though couldn't shake the dark cloud that loomed overhead.

"I know it. I knew it!" A shout sounded from the shattered window of the main room. Raven flew in, touching her boots to the stained remains of the carpet, fury evident in her face.

"Raven!" Robin gasped. The sorceress appeared more broken and beat rest of his team. "What happened?"

"Slade," she spat out while she surveyed the damage.

"Where's Terra?" Beast Boy suddenly asked. The very mention of the traitor's name only fueled her rage further.

"That … that," she growled as her eyes traveled over what was once her home. "That traitorous bitch is Slade's new apprentice!"

"What?" The entire team gasped in shock. Robin stepped forward, attempting to aid the sorceress who seemed to be limping on her right leg. Beast Boy reached her first however, and completely bombarded the girl with questions.

"New apprentice? That's ridiculous!" The changeling shouted, quickly moving himself in front of the witch. "There's just no way! There's gotta be a -"

"Believe it!" Raven snapped back, forcing her way passed the green skinned Titan with a shove of her shoulder. "She's the one that deactivated the security system."

"She's right," Cyborg quickly chimed in, viewing the remains of the security video that showed the blonde doing just as Raven had said. "But why?"

"Because she was working for Slade the entire time!" Raven continued to rant. "We should have never trusted her!"

"But we did," Robin attempted to calm the girl, feeling as if she had attempted to carry the burden alone. The boy wonder had rarely seen the girl raise her voice, and felt her attitude could only worsen the situation. "We all did."

"But why?" Starfire was completely lost, unable to comprehend the cause of the girl's actions. "Were we not good friends?"

"We were never friends to begin with," Raven replied to the princess, her tone growing cold as her eyes lowered. "She played us. She played us all for fools."

Starfire's jaded eyes shifted to the sorceress whose hood prevented the sight of her lilac hues. Her façade softened as she attempted to reach out to the girl.

"Raven," Starfire started, though the sorceress turned away from the girl's touch.

"I have to go meditate," she quickly informed them as her levitated form floated away from the group. "My wounds are still fresh."

Starfire retracted her hand and clasped it with the other, then rested them against her chest while her vision dropped to the damaged flooring. A shadow picked up around the sorceress and in an instant she was swallowed up by her own magic. Robin knew the girl was injured, but felt that there was more behind her words than she led on. He made a glance toward Cyborg who merely shook his head to his leader. The half metal Titan then searched around, noticing they were now two members short.

"Where's Beast Boy?"

Surrounded by the darkness of Terra's trashed and demolished room, a green melancholy dog sat on the bed with his head hung low and large eyes sadden to the fullest. The animal let out a whine as it suited itself in a more comfortable position, viewing what was once his best friend's room.

"He just needs a little time."

End Part III 


	5. The Unforgiven I

**Prophecy of Awakening I **

**Demonic Awakening IV **

The Unforgiven

**xXxXxXxXx **

She wanted to give up on everything, and explain to Raven that it was all a mistake, that she was terribly sorry for what she had done. Nevertheless, there was no turning back now. In order for her to repent for her sins, she would have to finish exactly what she started. As the winds blew hard against her form, blonde strands were forced to one side, shadowing a portion of her face and only allowing one sapphire hue to see her opponent before her. Her eyes were full of rage and hate, the same expression as the man standing confidently before her. Her fingers were clenched so hard, if it weren't for the gloves, her nails would most likely have drawn blood to her palm. Her jaw was clenched tightly, as her silent raged fueled her to not turn and run. No. She would not run from this fight, not anymore. This fight she would give her life. This man had taken everything from her, and she held the opportunity to return it ten fold.

No words were needed when Terra had showed up in Slade's layer, several hundred meters below the Earth's surface, and a perfect battleground for the element of rock and stone. There was no turning back for her now. She had left her goodbyes with Raven in a note tied to a rock she regretfully threw through the sorceress' window a week after this had all started. She didn't want to go back to the tower, but without her communicator, she didn't want to fight the man without, at the very least, voicing out what her heart yearned to admit. Such thoughts placed aside, Terra stood full of regrets, completely against what Raven had said to her, but her bridge had been burned. There was no turning back. Even if she were to be forgiven, Terra would never be able to live with herself. The guilt was too much. Her plan was not only to take out Slade, but to take out herself as well. Slade finally rose from his colossus chair that stood in front of several monitors that held screen shots of the Titans Tower currently being rebuilt. They were quickly shut down as he stepped down the steps toward the girl, cracking various tendons and bones, and readying himself for battle.

"Shall we get started?"

Terra's façade flinched for only a moment before she launched herself forward in an all out sprint toward the man. Sure, she could have caved in the ceiling upon him, but that would be far too easy, and far too painless. She had more planned for this mercenary. He taught her how to fight, dodge, and conserve her energy. He showed her how to use her opponent's movements to her own advantage. Yes, this was to be Terra's final stand.

**xXxXxXxXx **

Raven leaned against the wall of the hallway, having been unable to break down in front of her friends. She had made the mistake when she first arrived to the destruction of her home, and she wasn't about to make the same mistake again. She had acted as normal as she could during the reconstruction of her home, but her energy could only take her so far before her emotions became too much for her to bare. Her palms were flat against the wall while her head hung low, her attempts to escape the carnage that was the living room; the most difficult task she had come to face thus far. Every member of her team questioned her reason for leaving her duties of restoring the ceiling and she would now come to thank the heavens for Robin's observational skills. It was him and only him that allowed her the time she needed to rest.

The hallway was torn to shreds, with pieces of the floor and ceiling missing, and metal shards sticking out in complete disorder. Girders were bent and twisted beyond repair, and Raven was finally relieved when she came to her room, her door fully intact, and ironically enough the only portion of the tower where battle hadn't reached. She would have to remember to thank Koriand'r for that. She hadn't spoken more than three words since her outburst several nights before, even to Koriand'r. Frankly, she was afraid of what would come out of her mouth. Since then, it had been nothing but a nod or shake of her head, with mild facial expressions answering the more exotic questions.

She forced open the doors after regaining her composure, the electricity still not up on her side of the tower. She breathed out a sigh after forcing them open fully, her head the first part of her body to enter through the frame, lowering while her hair shadowed over the rest of her face. Instantly, she knew someone had been in here. She could see the prints of Slade's bots upon her what was once a stainless carpet, the window next to her bed shattered, and the laptop upon her desk hooked up and opened, frozen mostly due to the virus Slade's bots had uploaded throughout the system. She would have to ask Cyborg for the same software he used to reactivate the main computer system.

She attempted to close the door behind her, but her strength wouldn't allow her to close it fully. She halfheartedly pounded her fist against the metal frame and pushed off the wall, hypnotically making her way toward her bed. Her small hand reached up to undo her cloak, letting the light weighted material float to the ground, as if it would lighten the burden Raven felt upon her shoulders. Terra. She had trusted her far too easy. The look in her eyes when she begged for forgiveness. Raven's eyes closed as she remembered the girl's words, fresh in her memory just short of a week ago.

"_I'm so sorry, Raven … I truly am, and I know it's wrong of me to ask for your forgiveness, but you told me earlier tonight that sins could be forgiven. Please … I don't want to lose you as a friend."_

"_Slade was right. You don't have any friends."_

Her eyes closed tighter as her head fell into her hands, elbows quickly propped up by her knees. Her legs had lifted in an attempt to rid the pain in her stomach from rising, but it did no good. Guilt. It was a powerful emotion, and Raven could do nothing to subdue the pain. If Raven had just tried a little more, none of this would have ever happened. She had to continue to push the girl away when she first arrived, and had to be so weary to trust her when she returned. True, she worked for Slade when she came back to the Tower, but she had her suspicions. She should have questioned her, should have trusted her. Terra would surely have opened up to her, wouldn't she? Would she have? All Raven had to do was ask, right?

"Raven?"

The sorceress felt her body still after hearing the voice. Had she been trembling? Her muscles were so tight, she wasn't even sure, but her hair was a complete mess and shadowing over her already darkened eyes. As she pulled her hands away, she felt moisture upon her palms. Had she been crying?

"Raven, are you alright?"

_I'm far from all right._

"Raven? Please respond. I am worried about you…"

"It's open," Raven finally spoke, her voice barely audible and her throat dry and very parched. Had it been that long since she truly spoke? When she felt the girl's surprise of hearing her voice, she had her answer.

"Ra … Raven," Starfire began to speak, stuttering slightly as she stood uncomfortably near the doorway. She watched as the sorceress kept a cold glare to a certain spot on the wall, staring as if her eyes would burn a whole right through it. The princess was afraid to have the girl look in her direction, but couldn't stand the lack of attention the sorceress had often given her. She held one leg to her chest, hugging it tightly while her chin rested on her knee, the other leg hanging over the edge of her bed. Starfire, realizing she hadn't spoken since she entered, took a few hesitant steps toward the girl. "The others … we are all worried about you, Raven."

Raven shrugged her shoulders, once again reverting to silence and avoiding eye contact at all cost. Raven couldn't break down again, especially not in front of Koriand'r. She had to keep herself distant. Don't let anyone else get close; don't let them see you … see you like you were mere moments ago.

"Please, Raven," Starfire pleaded with the girl, knowing all too well the emotional wall the sorceress had always attempted to keep up around her. "Why is it you wish to not speak?"

"What do you want from me, Koriand'r?" Raven's silence was suddenly shattered as her eyes closed, lowering her head even further. "Do you want me to say that I'm alright? That everything will be okay?"

"Raven …" Starfire was more than shocked over her friend's sudden outburst, and took a step back.

"I can't," Raven finally said after a solid minute. "I don't know what will happen now, I don't know if anything will be alright, and things will never go back to the way they were."

Starfire had never seen her friend like this. Even though she had gotten the sorceress to open up to her, there were still things she had yet to find out about the girl, and her constant shielding of emotions were something she had never been able to break. Seeing the girl looking so fragile, weak, and vulnerable … Starfire just didn't know what to do.

"That bitch," Raven's voice became uneasy as her eyes opened, misty and clouded lilac hues attempting to keep focused on the carpet while they filled with tears. She tried to hold out for as long as she could, but she just couldn't take it any longer. "That stupid fucking bitch lied … she lied to me. So … why? Why do I feel like it's my fault?"

"Raven, it is far from your fault," Starfire seemed to find her voice rather quickly, not as fearful as the girl as she once was and quickly moved to comfort her. "Terra … she was confused. I do not believe she would have turned on us without having a reason."

"It's my fault," Raven repeated, despite Starfire's words. She closed her eyes tightly, as the night continued to replay freshly in her mind. "I could have stopped this all if I had just been nicer to her when she first arrived … I could have help her, trained her to control her powers more … but instead, she found someone else."

The thought of Slade merely enraged the sorceress more as she finally crumbled under the weight of her own guilt, falling to the floor on her knees while smashing her hands onto the carpet. She let out a scream as she smashed her fists repeatedly against her floor, punch after punch, hoping that Slade could feel each strike she placed, wishing to the gods above that she could tear the man limb from limb. If she had anyone to blame, it was him. Several of the lights in the hallway shattered under her own lack of control.

"Raven!" Starfire attempted to pull the girl back up, and grasped the girl's shoulders. Raven's body tensed to the touch, but the stirring of emotions had grown far beyond her understanding.

"What was it?" Raven cried out as her muscles grew tired. Starfire strained, but still couldn't catch the girl's question. Her body trembled as the redhead pulled the smaller girl into her arms. "What was it he had that I didn't? What was it that made her trust him over me?"

Finally, Raven collapsed into Starfire's body, wrapping her arms as tightly as she could around her, crying loudly into her shoulder.

"Why did she leave, Kori? WHY?!"

**xXxXxXxXx**

Terra threw her right arm outward, hurling a piece of lifted rock toward the mercenary. Slade leaped forward, dodging the strike and reached behind his back, pulling out his extending metal staff. He landed a few meters from the girl and ran toward the elemental, who raised her arms in defense. Just short of two meters, a wall of rock lifted, preventing Slade from entry. Terra then rolled to the right, just as the mercenary tore through her wall with his staff, forcing it to crumble against his weapon. She quickly pushed herself up and dodged a punch from the man who had trained her and raised her knee just in time to parry a roundhouse kick aimed to take out her ribcage. Terra knew the man was attempting to keep close range combat to prevent her from using her powers, though as Slade himself had taught her, always turn your weakness into your strength.

Cocking her right fist back, she hurled it forward, which was easily blocked by Slade's left wrist. He then grabbed tightly onto it and hurled the girl across the room. Terra spiraled her body around, going from landing back first to perfectly on her feet, extending one arm outward while the other pressed firmly against the ground, steadying her landing and lifting up dust all around her. She quickly pushed herself up as Slade came running toward her, straightening her back as she raised her arms defensively in front of her. His right leg came up for a roundhouse, and Terra leaped back onto her palms, back flipping out of the way. As she came up to her feet again, she had to raise her right arm, blocking a left hook that would have taken her head right off, the man's power far greater than she expected.

Her boots skidded back from the parried blow, and brought up a cross-arm block just as Slade's boot came crashing into her chest. Terra was hurled backward onto her back, but with a quick twist of her legs, she managed to flip back, just as the metallic boots of the mercenary slammed into the very earth she had once laid. With both arms cocked back, she hurled one forward, sending a mix of dirt and mud from the ground next to her right into the single eye of Slade. As he attempted to wipe the grim from his face, she hurled another ball of much, forcing him off balance. With a smirk, the blonde launched herself forward, letting loose a mixed flurry of punches and kicks, each one hitting their mark.

Her tiny fists crashed into his chest and face while a quick leap into the air sent a roundhouse kick to the side of his head. Slade stumbled to one knee, and while she still spun, she was able to use the same leg, as well as added momentum to deliver a second roundhouse, this one sending him crashing to the ground. Terra took two leaps back while bringing her hands up above her head, surrounding them in a yellow hue. Just as the man finally freed his vision, he was forced to roll hastily to his side as a small portion of the ceiling fell, spiked pillars aiming to end his very life. The race was now on, as Terra continued to rush herself backward, forcing more distance between herself and Slade as she hurled rock after rock toward the man, taking down portions of the ceiling and pieces of the wall, the environment around her a complete arsenal of unlimited ammo.

Slade continued to dodge his way out of falling rocks and impaling spikes. Each attempt to get closer to the girl proved futile, as the ceiling would begin to cave in ten meters ahead of him. He had trained the girl well, far too well. He rolled forward, barely missing his body being crushed by a large bolder, and leaped to the right, just missing a baseball-sized rock that could have done some moderate damage. He reached behind his back, pulling out his own arsenal of weaponry, and hurled three disks out in Terra's direction. The blonde had become too cocky in her attacks to notice the disks, and they spiraled right into her, blowing up a portion of uplifted earth in front of her and threw her back, forcing her right into a pile of rocks.

Slade then came rushing over, spinning his metal staff around and leaping into the air, aiming to impale the girl right through her chest. Terra let out a quick gasp as her eyes widened, pressing her palms to the ground and allowing it to sink inward. When Slade came crashing down with his attack, the ground had been replaced, and Terra's body was nowhere to be found. As his head turned left and right, it was unprepared for the leather boot that came crashing into his temple, sending him flying toward the wall and forcing him to his knees. Terra landed from her flying sidekick and actually allowed the man to come up to a stand, wanting to look him in the eyes before she delivered the final blow.

Slade spun his body around much faster than Terra anticipated and hurled another disk outward, this one exploding a few meters in front of the girl. There was a blinding white flash, so bright that it not only lit the entire cavern when it exploded, but forced the girl's pupils to become completely lost. She closed her eyes immediately, rubbing them in an attempt to rid herself of the white light she still saw, the attack leaving her completely blind. She felt a fist land heavily into her abdomen, forcing her to arch forward and let out a mix of air, saliva, and blood. Her eyes went wide from the strike, and suddenly felt her hair roughly grabbed, her head forced down into Slade's knee. A sickening crunch sounded from the strike as it knocked her head back, blood erupting from her nose and lips while she attempted to regain her footing.

The mercenary now let loose his own flurry of punches, each one striking harder than the last and forcing her body back farther and farther. A fist landed into her stomach, twice across her face, directly into her chest, and one right under her chin, an uppercut that knocked her into the air. Slade circled his leg around, placed the heel of his foot into her chest, and forced her to the ground. He leaped up and cocked his right arm back, aiming to crush the girl's skull with his large fist. Terra, knowing Slade's fighting style and sensing the final blow was about to come, let out a scream as she hurled her left arm across her chest, forcing a rather large portion of the wall to her side to come crashing across her, luckily smashing right into Slade and hurling him far across the cavern.

Her lungs forced out a cough as she turned to her side in an attempt to push herself up. Her vision was blurry, but the white screen was finally gone. She felt dizzy, and her head felt as if it were about to either explode, or implode. She couldn't help but let out a failed chuckle to the thought, not even able to register the pain her body felt. Slowly but surely, she was able to drag herself to her knees, her head hanging low while she heard her old trainer slowly getting to his feet as well, lifting her vision to view the man looking more furious than she had ever seen him. The look was enough to not only please the elemental, but also fuel her to continue her fight, and she too brought herself to her feet to lock herself in another melee round of hand-to-hand combat.

**xXxXxXxXx**

"How's the operation going?" Raven asked as she straightened out her ruffled cloak through the mirror of her closet, fixing her hair, and making herself appear presentable. It was as if the girl hadn't even broken down at all, as if she only needed to vent and now she was completely back to normal. Starfire stood next to the girl, still worried, but glad that Raven seemed normal. She doubted that the girl was the same on the inside.

"The construction workers arrived just as I came to see you," Starfire replied as she brushed a strand of hair that fell over her vision. "Robin wanted me to see if you were alright, since you have not spoken a word since the attack."

"I'm better now," Raven said as she looked herself in the mirror one more time. Her eyes were tired, and dark markings circled them, making her look as tired as she felt. Sighing reluctantly, she turned to face the girl, finally looking her in the eyes. "Thank you, Koriand'r."

"It is my pleasure, friend," Starfire nodded her head, though worry was still upon her face. "But are you certain you are alright?"

"I just needed to vent," Raven replied simply, turning toward the door. "I'm better now."

Starfire turned to follow her, but the sudden crunching from underneath her boots caught her attention. The sound forced the sorceress to turn her head only a moment before she shrugged carelessly.

"It must have happened during the attack," Raven said as she pressed her hand to the sensor next to her door, opening it once more.

"I do not believe I remember seeing damage to your window," Starfire stated, remembering fighting the bots that had exited Raven's room. Upon further investigation, the Tamaran found the source of the destruction. "What is this?"

"Hm?" Raven turned her head again, seeing Starfire crouching down next to her bed. As Raven walked over curiously, she noticed Starfire holding a rock, with a folded piece of paper banded to it. The sorceress' eyes instantly widened, knowing good and well the source of its owner. Before Starfire even had a chance to unfold the paper, it was snatched by Raven, and quickly skimmed. The girl's façade shattered for the second time as she neared the end of the letter. The girl's brows lowered while she crumpled it up in her grasp. She then dropped the paper floor. Raven's movements had been so fast; the paper hadn't even reached the carpet before the girl was gone.

**xXxXxXxXx**

Terra's head launched backward, as a powerful uppercut nailed her directly in the chin. The strike forced her to slide a few feet back, but her stance didn't falter, and she quickly recovered in time to block a roundhouse kick that wound have taken her head right off. She quickly dropped to the ground as her other arm raised to block a hook punch. She forced the arm back and used her other hand to deliver a quick jab to the mercenary's midsection, and followed up with another stronger punch, then an uppercut. She landed two of the three punches, but it gave her time to take a breath before Slade came in for the offensive again.

Terra arched herself backward, barely missing another right hook and bright her knee up, only to be blocked by Slade's palm. She stomped down with the same foot onto his own, and used the momentum to hurl herself into the air, spin her body around and deliver a devastating spinning roundhouse kick that would have knocked his head off. Unfortunately, for the girl, the man was able to rise off his own, much stronger arm, grasping the girl's ankle fully and spinning her around. With a mighty throw, Terra was hurled across the room, but a quick motion of her hand launched a rock upward toward her feet. With the ability to regain her composure, Terra placed her palm to the rock and brought herself high up into the air, her palm glowing brightly.

As Slade ran toward the girl, tiny particles of dust lifted at her command, spiraling around her and creating a sand storm, enough to blind the mercenary as he slowed his pace immensely and shielded his one eye. Several rocks were launched in his direction, each one smashing as they hit his chest, crossed arms and back, forcing him to crouch down in a defensive state. Reaching into the back of his utility belt, Slade pulled out a small device, created a smoke screen of his own, and disappeared from the blonde's view, silence for once falling over the arena. As both dust clouds cleared, Terra stood upon her rock, high above the point of her summoned sandstorm, looking about for the lost mercenary.

A zipping sound from behind her caught Terra's attention, but by the time she turned, it was far too late. Slade tackled the girl from above right off the rock she stood upon, hurling them both to the ground. They rolled several times, before Slade pinned the girl's arms up above her head with one of his hands, while delivering a strong punch across the side of her face. Blood sprayed out from her mouth as the side of her face hit the canvas, sending her into a dazed state. Slade reached for his belt again, while Terra's vision remained blurred from the strike. As a sharp pain pricked the side of her neck, the mercenary slowly leaned over to whisper into her left ear.

"I let you have your fun, apprentice," he stated in a low tone. "But playtime's over."

**xXxXxXxXx**

"How are computer operations going?" Robin asked Cyborg as he took a break from ordering various construction workers around, rubbing the back of his neck while tucking the clipboard under his arm. It was fairly nice for the city to recognize the Titans as heroes and thus help them to rebuild their home incase of attacks, but for security reasons, Robin himself investigated each one, and only allowed up to ten people to help with the project, which really slowed things down. Although Beast Boy stated Robin was beginning to sound paranoid, Robin said he'd rather be safe and slow, than sorry and dead. The changeling kept his mouth shut after that statement.

"We've got a new firewall set up, and I'm inputting the new security password combination now," Cyborg announced while physically connected to the computer, as well as typing various keys upon an extended panel from the wall. Robin nodded, and then moved his hand from his neck to his shoulder, stretching his arm as he worked on his shoulder. "Why don't you take a break, man? Me and B.B. can handle things from here."

On cue, there was a crash from below, to which several of the city's workers were yelling out the changeling's name. Said teen then shouted out various apologies, and Robin merely sighed.

"Well, I can handle things from here," Cyborg attempted to correct himself with a hesitant laugh. "I'll give him something to do that won't involve anything electronic."

"Robin!"

The two titans turned instantly to the source of the voice. Starfire came rushing into the room with a crumpled up piece of paper in one hand while her other arm flailed about. The girl's face was stricken with worry as she flew directly to their team's leader.

"Robin," the Tamaranian Princess shouted while she attempted to catch her breath. "Raven has … Terra … she!"

Confused as he was, all his questions would be answered as Starfire passed him the very note that forced Raven to fly form her living quarters. His eyes focused upon the hard-to-read handwriting and read quietly to himself. Beast Boy had instantly appeared by his leader's side. The thought of his blonde-haired friend having dragged his attention from causing further frustration to the helpful construction workers.

_Raven,_

_You said to me that once someone realizes they've made a mistake, they are instantly forgiven as long as they are prepared to confront responsibility for their actions. Well, I think I'm finally able to face my demon. I never had a place to call home until I met you and the rest of the Titans. You all took me in and helped me out when I needed it. However, I was scared. I've always been scared, Raven. I've never had a place to call home before, because I'm always afraid of messing things up. Every time I get comfortable, I do something to make people force me to leave, most of the time because of my powers. This time, however, it was because of my actions. Raven, there's no way I can ever explain how truly sorry I am. I realize now just how heartless Slade really is, and see now why you are always skeptical about who you trust. I respect you so much more for it now, and I wish things could have been different._

_The night I left the tower, I would give anything to have just listened to you and stay, but I can't turn back the clock. There's nothing I can do to make up for what I've done either; no matter how many times I apologize for it. I put you and your friends at risk. I should have known better, but I truly believed in Slade's word, and thought for once that I could have a place to call home. Now I realize that I'll never have a home. I'll never be able to have a place to fit in because my powers are just too destructive. So, what I'm going to do now in hopes to atone for some of the damage I've caused is to confront my true demon, Slade himself._

_His base is located to the south of the city, near an old inactive volcano within the heart of the mountains. I figure I have the upper hand, since he taught me everything he knows, and his entire base is surrounded by rock; my specialty. I know I can't ask for your forgiveness, and I know things will never be the same between us. Instead, I'm going to take out this monster once and for all, and if everything goes accordingly … well, let's just say, you won't have any more headaches from me._

_Before I go to fight, I just wanted to let you know just how I feel about you Raven. The time we shared together may have been short, but I think I got to know more about you than anyone else in the tower, besides Starfire. But the night on the rooftop of the tower, I think we really connected with one another. You showed me a side of you that I don't think I've ever seen you show to anyone, Raven, and it touched me more than I even realized at that point. I just wish I had the courage to have acted on my emotions. I know it's hard for you because your emotions are connected to your powers, but bottling them up inside isn't always good either. Eventually, you might explode, and I fear that from you._

_Wow, this is my seventh attempt at writing this letter because I didn't want it to be so long, but once again I find myself writing more than I expected. Raven, I'm so very sorry for what I've done to you, and your friends. I know you said to me that I don't have any more friends, and I believe you … but you'll always be the closest thing to me. I was never able to connect with someone like I did with you that night, and I hope that things go a lot better for you than they have for me. Please, don't come for me, because I know the hero inside of you would, no matter what I've done in the past. I must face him by myself. I just want all this pain to end … I just want it all to end. I just can't stand to be hated by someone that … that I really truly liked._

_Terra_

_P.S. I'm sorry to have to break your window, but I can't deliver this personally._

Toward the bottom of the message, there were several erase marks, especially toward the last two sentences. Robin had skimmed through the long letter rather fast, skipping over the more private parts of it and straight to the parts speaking of Slade. Slade's hideout, Robin had the location. His eyes turned up to the worried look of Starfire in an instant, while he crumpled up the paper in his fist. His blood boiled to the thought that the girl would face the menace alone, knowing good and well just how powerful Slade truly was. He also knew the relationship his teammates had with Terra, for she was the reason the city's construction workers were working around the clock to repair their home.

"What did it say?" Beast Boy asked, having only read two or three lines in before Robin lowered the letter. His brows lowered in concentration, already knowing the thought of Starfire.

"Terra went to go fight Slade alone," Robin relayed, deciding to keep the rest in his own mind. Beast Boy didn't need to know anything else in the letter.

"She what?" Beast Boy threw his hands out, while he became as worry struck as Starfire. "We gotta go help her!"

"But she's the enemy," Cyborg announced, though his voice was lacking. It was apparent he too was worried for his former teammate.

"I think Raven went to help Terra," Starfire announced unsteadily, as she rubbed her upper arm with her other hand. Robin's eyes lowered as he stared at the crumpled up piece of paper in his hand. His fingers curled up into a tightly balled up fist, now knowing the response his teammates were looking for.

"Titans, Go!"

**xXxXxXxXx **

"This is quite amazing, Tara," a sharp voice interrupted her attempted slumber. Through the fog, the blonde fought, until a bright light flashed from above her. Her half-opened eyes squinted in an attempt to see, her mind a long haze and vision completely blurred. Her body felt like dead weight, as if her blood had been pumped with liquid lead. "You hold a unique power, but you don't have the correct chromosome in your body. Normal Meta-Humans have a unique chromosome that's different than normal human beings, but all of yours are completely normal."

Terra had no idea what the man was talking about, but it sounded oddly familiar. It hurt too much to think about it. Her body ached from the previous fight, and her muscles wouldn't obey any command her brain gave them. She felt something cold entering into her arms, and her heart race in fear.

"What … what are you doing to me?" Terra's fear was evident in her shaken voice, her blurred vision and inability to lift her head left her completely in the dark to the actions of the mercenary. Slade merely grinned as he leaned over the girl's face, upside down to her current position.

"Studying you like the insect you are," he said without emotion, while his hands moved with some sort of blurry metallic object toward her neck. She felt a sting, similar to the one she had felt earlier, and soon her vision turned black again. This was it; all her attempts to fight against him were for nothing. Her own fight against her inner demons she had lost against, and she had failed herself. Not only that, but she had failed Raven, and her teammates. She had promised that she would end Slade's terror, and only helped him in achieving his ultimate goal; control of her powers. His voice was the last thing she heard before her effort to fight slumber faded. "And taking what's rightfully mine."

**xXxXxXxXx **

The shadows of the room collected in a swirling of black energy, forming a large enough circle for the sorceress to fit her body through. The black energy dispersed as Raven pulled back the hood to her cloak. Azure leather boots touched the surface of the dirt flooring while the lights flickered due to an energy surge. Raven's focused was placed forward as her senses stretched out in search of the Earth element. Her emotions were restless, and her attempts to keep them calm had all failed. Her mission remained the same, however, despite the arguments in her mind. Terra, as much as she disliked saying it, had to be helped. There was no way she would hold up against Slade even if the girl was able to fully control her powers. Even with the entire Titan's team against him, he had escaped on numerous occasions. With an endless supply of robot armies at his fingertips, Raven had begun to fear the worst when she had first received the letter in her room.

Her eyes easily adjusted to the darkness once the four light bulbs in the room simultaneously shattered, one of the many traits inherited by her father's blood. She cautiously made her way forward, watching out for any sort of trap. She wasn't too sure she could trust the girl's words, but they had struck something inside of the emotionless mage that she had once thought to have been lost. There was also the fact that she had stated not to follow her that told the girl that she was in fact telling the truth. The guilt Raven had felt during the past few days that had forced her to fly blindly to Slade's hideout, without the help of her teammates. Now more than ever she had wished they were with her as she walked down the darkened hallway. Stupidly, she had left her communicator back at the tower in her room.

Her hands were stretched outward as the walls began to narrow, and followed the pathway to a large metal door that seemed far too likely to be apart of the cave structure. Her eyes narrowed as her senses picked up two life forms deeper within the cave beyond this doorway. Her breathing intensified beyond her control, and her heart raced along with it. She couldn't describe the feeling welling up inside of her, but her adrenaline rushed beyond her control. Her hands pressed against the cold surface, and concentrated her energy against it. Her fingertips sparked a small amount of black energy, and once again, she was able to open up a portal that would bring her to the other side of the doorway. She collected herself within the shadows of her own energy, and passed straight through the door to the other side.

Her legs were first to pass through, along with her arms and the rest of her body to follow. As her head was forced through the solid metal and appeared on the other side, she was unprepared for what she was about to encounter. Slade's entire hand gripped the girl's face and lifted her into the air. His arm wound back and forced the back of her head to slam against the metal door, which sent the sorceress into a daze. Stars greeted Raven's vision after everything went black, her vocal cords announcing a rather groggy groan to the unexpected strike. He slammed her against it again, then again before he hurled her forward across the dirt flooring. Raven skidded to a stop several meters from the mercenary, coughing up the dirt that picked up all around her and attempted to push herself up.

"Slade," she spat out in a distaste that seemed to make her blood boil in rage. This was the man that Terra had chosen. Her teeth grinded against one another as her jaw clenched tightly shut, her rage just begging to take control at this point. She could almost sense the smirk behind the man's one-eyed mask as his eyes lowered upon her. She stood up without brushing the dirt from her leotard and cloak, glaring hatefully to the creature before her. To her, this man held no humanity in him and was a mere beast hiding within a human form. He'll pay for his crimes with…

"We've been expecting you," Slade announced, interrupting the dark mage's thoughts as he extended his arm outward while the other folded behind his back. His outstretched arm pointed to Raven's right side, and she turned to see a source of light that hovered over a metal plate. Her eyes widened as the plate began to tilt vertically, a frail human girl strapped to it with a metal contraption throughout her body, seeming like armor at a first glance. Raven knew better than to just judge the attire based on its looks, focusing upon the two plates that were stuck to the blonde's skull. "I'm rather disappointed that you are the only one to show up, but it's to be expected … especially with my apprentices' choice of actions as of late."

"Terra," Raven gaped to the unconscious girl strapped to the bed, then turned hatefully toward the man with an extending of her own arm. "What the hell did you do to her?""

"I only did what I felt necessary," Slade announced with a casual roll of his hand, completely unfazed by Raven's anger. "The girl wanted to leave without paying her debt to me."

"Debt?" Raven's voice questioned aloud on its own accord. Slade's eyes then lowered as they focused from the sorceress to the blonde. He lifted the folded arm behind his back, which revealed a newly acquired bracelet. He pressed a button that forced the blonde's eyes to open to reveal a pool of sapphire completely void of life. Her pupils were contracted to the point that it seemed they weren't even there, and her face was lost of all emotion.

"Complete control of her powers."

_**End Part IV**_


	6. The Unforgiven II

**Prophecy of Awakening I **

**Demonic Awakening V**

The Unforgiven II

**xXxXxXxXx **

Raven dodged the rocks that were hurled her way, and lifted her arms to create a black semi-transparent shield. A large boulder smashed into her shield and forced her boots to skid a few meters back, while she let out a low grunt. Her frown was evident as she stared to the blonde elemental before her, the look in her eyes sending chills down the young sorceress' mind. Slade stood confidently by his chair, next to the monitoring system he had used to initiate Raven's earlier attempts of infiltrating his base undetected. Terra held an emotionless gaze as Slade continued to punch in commands into the controlling device on his wrist, and forced her to continue her assault on the dark magus.

"Terra, stop it," Raven ordered the girl. The blonde replied with another wave of her hands which caved in a portion of the ceiling just above the dark haired Titan. Raven leaped to the side and flew out of the way, while rocks tore through portions of her cloak. It was obvious from her looks that the girl had done battle with Slade before he had placed the device on her body. Blood had crusted to her lip and chin while bruises showered her face. Even still, it seemed the girl held no care to her injuries, and continued to attack the girl ruthlessly.

Raven's palm touched the surface of the flooring, while her eyes shifted from the blonde to the mercenary. She took the gamble with Terra pretty far away, and hurled herself forward. She flew with great speed toward Slade, her right fist cocking back and fusing with her own dark elemental powers. Just before she was to strike, Slade lifted his wrist and pressed a button, which hurled a large piece of rock from Raven's side right into her body. The sorceress was thrown to the side like a rag doll, tumbled to the ground, and skidded to a stop near the wall of the cave. Terra stood upon a floating rock and levitated next to her leader with her arms down by her side. Raven slowly pushed herself from the ground and let out a grunt of frustration. Her fists clenched tightly while her knees were scrapped along the rocks she fell upon.

"So you decided to come all by yourself?" Slade asked in an amused tone, while the semi-conscious Terra took a few steps toward Raven. He took a look toward his screen monitors to assure there were no intruders, then turned to the girl in question. "What was it you were hoping to accomplish alone?"

Raven spat a collected amount of saliva to the ground and wiped it off with her wrist. She knew exactly what Slade was trying to do, and she had driven blindly right into his expectations. He knew of the closeness between Terra and herself, and there was nothing stopping him from using it against her. How could she fight back? How could Raven fight against the one girl she had truly opened up to? Raven's lips flat-lined, as the only available option became clear in her mind. Despite her aches and pains, Raven pushed herself to a sitting position and slowly pulled her legs into a meditative stance. Slade instantly recognized it, and ordered Terra to attack.

"Tara, stop her now!" he exclaimed. The girl's pupil-less eyes lowered and sprinted forward, while her hands shimmered a golden-yellow hue. A black aura erupted around the sorceress, while just ten meters remained in distance, Raven's soul-self emerged from her chest. The black semi-transparent version of Raven flew forward, and stopped Terra just three meters from the oncoming attack. The blonde tumbled lifelessly to the ground, while Slade quickly rushed forward.

**xXxXxXxXx **

"_Terra?"_

"Raven! Is that you? Please, I can't control anything!"

"_Terra, you have to calm down…"_

"I didn't mean for this to happen, Raven, I'm so sorry!"

"_Terra, please, listen to me…"_

"I'm sorry, Raven, please! I can't stop this, no matter how hard I try!"

"_Terra! You have to calm your emotions down, or you'll never-"_

"Please, Raven! I don't want to fight anymore! It hurts too much, I just can't take it!"

"_Terra!"_

"I'm sorry … I'm so … so sorry … I just … I just can't fight it anymore … I just want this all to end."

"_Just listen to me for a second!"_

"…."

"_Your emotions aren't balanced, you're powers are growing beyond your control by the second. If you don't get a hold on your emotions, it will destroy you, and everyone around you!"_

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"_Stop apologizing already! I know you're sorry, but you apologizing wont change anything that's happened."_

"I …"

"_However, taking affirmative action could change what will happen."_

"…"

"_Get a hold of yourself. Calm your emotions. Take control of them. Take control of your powers. Only you can do this, Terra, I can only show you the way. You're the one that's going to have to take control. You're the only one that can choose the path you take, no one else. Do you remember the conversation we had that night? About sins being forgiven?"_

"Yes…"

"_I know now what you were speaking of, Terra, and my answer still remains the same. Once someone knows of the mistakes they've made, they are forgiven only if they accept the responsibility of what they've done, and take affirmative action to correct what has been done. You're the-"_

**xXxXxXxXx **

Slade gripped his staff and slammed it against the left side of Raven's ribcage. The sorceress let out a scream as her soul self was violently ripped out, and fused back into its owner. Raven began to push her body up from the dirt, but was stopped at the neck by the tip of Slade's staff. The mercenary pushed the metal into the girl's neck, and forced her head into the dirt. With his boot, he kicked the same side, this time hitting her right arm, hard enough to send her onto her back. His foot was then planted onto her chest, and he calmly brought his staff back behind him, tapping an end against the side of his head.

"Now, now, you know it's rude to leave the host out of the conversation," Slade glared to the girl as he spoke with a low tone.

"Sorry, it sickens me just to be in the same are with diabolical creature such as yourself. You aren't even human," Raven panted heavily while attempting to lessen the weight of Slade's boot with her good arm. Slade's last kick seemed to either dislocate or break her arm. Her head was so full of lead, she couldn't concentrate on pain at the moment. "Taking over someone's mind? Forcing someone to use powers they can't control, against their will?"

"You speak as if the girl didn't come to me, seeking my help," Slade reminded the girl as he leaned forward, resting an arm over his knee. His one eye glared through the mask and right in the center of Raven's eyes, knowing she could not only see the smirk he held but sense it as well. "She rejected you, and begged for me. And now, I've given her everything you couldn't. Control, and power."

"Yea," Raven spat out in disgust. "Your control over her power."

"I never stated who I would give it to, just that it would be obtained," Slade smirked as his staff retracted. His hand reached to his utility belt and replaced it with another item. "And your powers are quite unique as well, Sorceress."

"You couldn't even dream of attempting to control them," Raven let out a grunt while she gave a quick push to the weight in order to catch her breath. It was soon forced out, however, as Slade pushed more heavily on her chest.

"You have no idea of the knowledge I hold, nor the training I've endured," Slade frowned heavily, while a tint of calmly rage entered his throat for the first time during their encounter. "And with this little device, you'll be doing all the enduring for me."

Raven's eyes widened as she felt a sharp pin puncture through her neck. She felt the cold liquid quickly enter her blood stream, and not a moment later, her entire body felt like dead weight. Her immune system immediately attempted to fight against the drug, while her eyes tried desperately to remain open.

"Telekinesis is quite the power," Slade stated as he lifted his boot from the girl's chest. Her body was completely immobilized, and her breathing had become rhythmic. "It will be a nice addition to my new found powers."

"Don't hurt her…"

Slade looked up in surprise and turned to the barely audible voice. The blonde haired teen still held an emotionless gaze and a robotic stance. However, her dark sapphire hues had begun to shimmer, as if attempting to fight back tears. Slade's eyes glared as he slowly stood and began to walk toward the girl.

"Are you still awake, my child?" Slade asked curiously with a tilt of his head and a smirk behind his mask. "Do we need another injection?"

"You … won't … touch her!"

Slade's eyebrow raised to the voice behind him, and turned to face the telepath. She was leaned over on her side with her weight shifted onto her arms, glaring daggers straight through the mercenary's mask. Four crimson hues had erupted to life while her breathing became deep and heavy. Beads of sweat formed upon her forehead as she attempted to keep herself conscious, and fought against the urge to sleep. Though the drug may have worked on any normal Meta-Human, Raven was far from normal.

"You surprise me, my little black bird," Slade grinned as he altered his course back to the dark mage. "That should have been enough to knock you out for at least four hours."

Raven's body began to shake uncontrollably while gripping the ground with her fingertips. Slade merely smirked as he approached the girl with his hands clasped behind his back.

"But then again, I suppose you are far different others," Slade assumed as he brought a hand to his chin. "Perhaps I should have begun with you, instead of Robin."

Her four crimson hues shut tightly, as she called upon the last of her powers. A small black energy lifted off her form like smoke. Her energy expelled outward, as the sorceress sacrificed all remaining emotions inside of her. They were put to sleep while her rage awoke physically for the first time in as long as she could remember. The sorceress slowly rose, as the black energy fell off her form like liquid and turned the torn remains of her dark blue cloak to a blood red color. Her fists balled up tightly and a low growl escaped her throat. The mercenary blinked seeming intrigued by the dark mage's sudden change.

"Interesting," Slade stated honestly, as he crouched down into a fighting stance. "It's obvious you are anything but the average super hero."

The shadows around the room began to spiral around her form, forcing the light in that area to completely fade. The mercenary was now faced with an opponent he could not see. As the darkness in the room began to creep closer and closer toward him, his body began to crouch. Just as a pair of black psychic arms reached out from underneath Slade's feet, the man leaped into the air. From the darkness, the sorceress of shadows leaped with her left arm cocked back and screamed in rage. As she threw her hand outward, Slade grasped the girl's wrist with ease and hurled her back toward the ground. The sorceress forced a wave of energy to form around her, which stopped her just before crashing into the ground.

"Your attacks are pathetic," Slade frowned as stood up from where he had landed. "Even for you, that drug is enough to weaken your body. I can only imagine how much energy you have to spend just to stay conscious."

Her jaw was clenched tightly shut as she tried desperately to keep herself from passing out. She focused upon the blurry disfigured figures heading toward her. She couldn't count how many there were, but she knew there were at least three solid ones, and a few blurry ones.

'Please, Terra. Wake up …' 

"Az'rath …" Raven let out a breath as she began to raise her right arm. The remains of her energy emitted from her hand while she stretched it forward. "M-Metrion…"

Slade's heavy boot came down hard on the girl's wrist, and forced the black energy that had formed to diminish instantly. Raven let out a mute cry and fell forward onto the ground. Her entire body felt stiff and unable to respond to her request. Slade held a quite but enraged aura around him as he leaned his weight onto the sorceress once again. He began to lean toward her head, once again moving close enough to whisper something torturous.

"Get off her now!"

Before Slade could even turn toward the source of the voice, a large boulder smashed into him from the side. The large rock sandwiched him into the far side of the cavern wall. A dark shadow made its way over the dark sorceress, with small pebbles falling from the structure in which floated by. Her tired eyes looked up to see blonde mane swaying behind cloth and metal, with spark coursing around the slim figure.

"You may have controlled me," Terra shouted as she extended an arm in defense. Her fingers were burned and scarred, with parts of the electronic contraption Slade had placed upon her body pulled apart and sticking out of her skin. Blood dripped down her right arm from her shoulder, where most of the self-caused damage was made. Her eyes were completely taken over by the same golden-yellow energy that swirled around her body. "But there's no way in Hell I'll allow you to do the same to her!"

The rock implanted on the opposing side of the cavern fell, with Slade landing in a crouched position. The black suit worn around him had been torn and tattered, but the man still stood confident as he began to make his way toward the two.

"As I have told you, my Apprentice," Slade stated as he lifted one arm while reaching to it with the other. "You no longer have a choice in the matter."

The sparks around Terra's body began to surge even more, coursing through her with voices and demands attempting to conquer. Her jaw clenched tightly shut, as she reached for the two metallic pieces impaled into her skull. She gripped them as tightly as she could, ignoring every command Slade's device implanted within her brain.

"You can't control me anymore!" Terra's scream coated over any and every other command within her mind as her eyes closed tightly shut. The pain was just another sin to her, and she felt it was far passed time to pay for them. With a final heave, the two metal plates shifted outward, not entirely from her skull, but enough to rid the pulses conducting into her head. In an instant, the voices were gone, and the electric current that flowed through her body was gone. However, a new flow entered into her body, pure rage. The device on Slade's wrist began to spark and finally exploded while Terra commanded the rock she stood upon directly toward the mercenary.

"Raven!"

The sorceress lost the vision of the fight, and attempted to turn her half-opened eyes toward the source of the familiar voice. A green-gloved hand lifted the back of her head up carefully, while another parted the strands of hair that blocked her field of view.

"Ro … bin …"

She couldn't even hear her own voice as her body suddenly went limp. Robin held a raged expression as he looked up from Raven's broken figure to Slade and Terra battling it out.

"Cyborg," Robin ordered as the rest of his team followed in behind him. "Try and figure out what's wrong with Raven."

The half-metal Titan rushed to the girl's aid with Beast Boy next to him, while Robin and Starfire made their way into the heated battle. The green-skinned changeling looked on with worry, having never seen any of his teammates in this bad of shape.

"What's wrong with her?" Beast Boy asked, noticing her eyes were fully open, though unable to focus upon anything.

"Her body's paralyzed," Cyborg stated as he began a full body scan with his hi-tech arm. "She's fighting to stay conscious."

Terra screamed in rage as she hurled boulder after boulder at Slade. The suited mercenary dodged each one, leaping higher and higher throughout the cavern walls. With a throw of her hands, Terra ordered the rock Slade stood upon to crumble, forcing the man to free fall toward the ground. With a quick twist of his waist, Slade landed roughly on the ground. He then quickly leaped out of the way just as a portion of the ceiling caved in where he had landed.

"Terra! Stop!" Robin shouted with an outstretched arm. The battle moved throughout the battlefield faster than he could keep up. The Earth Elemental's powers were growing far too powerful for the cave structure to hold. Terra's eyes were completely taken over by a powerful golden yellow hue and her assault never halted at Robin's command. As Slade charged for the girl, Terra brought her hands out to the side. Letting out a low grunt, the Earth Elemental closed her fingers and ripped out two large boulders from the sidewalls. With a clap of her hands, she forced the boulders to smash together. Slade leaped up and avoiding being flattened by a fraction of a second. He retrieved his metal staff, extended it, and swung it back in preparation to take the girl's head right off. With a quick lift of her hands, however, Terra brought up a rock shield in front of her. Slade smashed right through it with his staff.

"HA!" Terra screamed out as her boot made contact with the side of Slade's head, completely catching the mercenary off guard by changing her tactics to melee fighting. She leaped into the air, spun around, and delivered a roundhouse with the same leg right into the man's ribcage. The mercenary lowered his arm and grabbed hold of Terra's leg, despite her attack, and extended his own leg outward to the side of her own head. Terra's head whipped to the side, fully unwary of the opposing hook punch Slade held ready for her. He then followed with an upper cut and a leaping sidekick that sent the girl flying into Starfire's arms.

"Terra!" Starfire cried out to the girl. Her body tensed for a moment as she collected the blood in her mouth and spit it out. The Tamaranian helped the girl to stand while Robin hastily ran past them, immediately falling into hand-to-hand combat with Slade. No words were even passed as Robin allowed his emotions to take over in his logical thought process fully. The mercenary blocked each arm strike and kick the boy wonder had to offer. With a swing of Slade's staff, Robin back-flipped, retracted his own from his utility belt, and extended it outward just in time to parry the man's next attack.

"What are you all doing here?" Terra asked as the battle she had fought began to take its toll on her body. With an arm slung over Starfire's shoulder, she watched as Robin and Slade continued to exchange blow after blow.

"We have come for you," Starfire stated truthfully. Terra's eyes shifted downward and let out a disgusted breath in reply.

"I didn't ask to be rescued," Terra said without looking up to the girl. "You shouldn't have come."

"But Terra," Starfire started, but Terra quickly stopped her in mid-sentence.

"This is my fight, Star," Terra interrupted the scarlet haired girl. "None of you should be here."

"We have been battling Slade long before we have come to know you," Starfire was equally quick with her own statement. "This fight is not yours alone."

"You don't understand," Terra said as she forced herself to stand on her own. She shrugged off Starfire's attempt to aid, and watched the battle between Robin and Slade. "I don't want to send Slade to prison."

"I do not understand," Starfire's brows pinched inward in confusion. "You do not wish for Slade to pay for what he has done?"

"I'm going to send him straight to Hell," Terra's tone had become much lower. Her fingers clenched tightly against her palm as she formed two balled up fists. "I want both of us to pay for what we've done."

Before Starfire could comment, the rock below Terra's feet lifted and she hurled herself forward to rejoin the battle. The sound of metal smacking against metal echoed throughout the cavern. Robin and Slade's moves were almost identical to one another, appearing as if they held the same Master at one time. Robin leaped over Slade's kick, and came hammering down with the heel of his boot. With his staff raised, Slade blocked the teen's kick, reached for his leg, and pulled him into a punch. The two staves dropped to the ground simultaneously.

"You're interrupting a personal matter, boy," Slade stated as he parried Robin's right hook.

"You're going to jail once and for all," Robin replied as he blocked Slade's kick with both his arms.

"You really think prison bars can hold me?" Slade laughed as he blocked another punch and grasped tightly onto his wrist. "There's no way in Hell I'd allow a failed apprentice like you to bring me in."

"Then allow me to drag you down," came a shout from behind the boy wonder. Robin quickly delivered a kick to Slade's midsection in order to break the hold. He then back flipped out of the way, just as Terra came rushing forward on her floating rock. The blonde haired girl leaped off the rock and extended her leg outward for a kick. Slade was ready though, grabbed the girl with ease, and spun to smash her back first into the ground. Her eyes were still glowing immensely as the rock she had leaped off smashed into Slade's back, which he had failed to prepare for. Terra's knees instantly rose into his chest, and with a push of her hands, she flung the mercenary back to reverse the pin. Before he had even hit the ground, Terra had begun to pummel his fast with her fists.

"It's all your fault, you bastard!" Terra screamed as she pounded her fist into his mask. It cracked further and further with every punch she delivered, and the mercenary had been too stunned to put up a quick enough defense. It only took him a short moment to recover, but Terra had already landed eight to ten punches. The split in his mask cracked fully, and Terra hesitated as the mercenary's true face was revealed.

"Once again, you've neglected your training," Slade's voice was sinister as his hand reached up to grab hold of Terra's entire face. With a turn of his body, he slammed her head first into a boulder, smashing it to pieces. "Never hesitate."

As Slade cocked his hand back to deliver the punch, Terra's aura exploded. Her screams were deafened by the violent shaking of rock and Earth around her. Slade's balance on the girl was shaken, as the entire rock structure they sat on began to tremble immensely. A ring of yellow collapsed all rock flooring around them, revealing an endless pit below. Terra's pure aura was enough to throw Slade off her as she began to float upward. Her eyes were fused with the golden-yellow hue of the energy spiraling around her, and her merciless look sent chills for the first time down the mercenary's spine. Her hands slowly rose upward, as yellow energy cracked throughout the ground around them.

"Die!" Terra screamed as the entire ground crumbled. With an inability to fight against gravity, Slade began to free fall to the pit below, where a smoldering hot death awaited him. The cavern around them continued to shake even after Terra's aura began to diminish. As soon as her energy was depleted, Terra expected her fate to be no different, and fell back first into the lava pit below. Her eyes were closed tightly, fearing the end of her life. "I'm sorry, Raven … I so sorry."

"You must apologize in person," a voice called out as she felt her wrist grabbed just as the heat began to warm her back. Terra opened her tearful gaze up to the Princess of Tamaran in pure shock. Starfire began to slow her accent as she pulled Terra up to grab her other arm. Though hesitant at first, Terra reached up and grasped onto Starfire hand as she pulled them both up toward safety. Robin stood at the edge with Beast Boy and Cyborg holding Raven in his arms behind them. Starfire landed with the girl in the center of the group, while the ceiling began to cave downward. Terra's eyes were right away on Raven's out stretched body lying motionlessly in Cyborg's arms.

"The entire structure's collapsing," Robin announced to the team.

"We've got a bigger problem," Cyborg stated as he nodded his head to the side paneling on his left arm. "Terra's powers activated a dormant volcano that's big enough to take out the entire city."

"Can we stop it?" Beast Boy asked hastily.

"There's not enough time," Cyborg stated. "This whole place is gonna go down in less than two minutes."

"We've got to get out of here," Robin ordered as he began to make his way toward the entrance. "There's nothing we can do from here, let's go!"

It was then that Terra saw Raven's eyes move toward her. They met for only a faction of a second before Terra turned away, unable to look the girl in the eye. Robin and Starfire were first in line to the exit, with Cyborg following in tow. Raven fought to keep up the view of the girl with her head hanging off Cyborg's mechanical bicep, but her vision was blocked by Beast Boy. The changeling stood with Terra, placing a steady hand on her shoulder.

"Come on, Terra," he said to the girl that refused to look up from the ground. "We gotta get out of here."

"You have to get out of here," Terra said as she turned back to the large hole she had created. "I have to stay."

"What?" Beast Boy asked. "No, you can't. Robin said it's too late."

"It's never too late," Terra said with a sad smile as she turned back to him. Beast Boy's vision became misty as he fought desperately to keep the tears from falling.

"Terra," Beast Boy's voice had dropped to barely audible. "No…"

"I'm sorry, Beast Boy," Terra said in a low voice. "I'm sorry for everything I've done."

Beast Boy held no words for the girl as countless emotions mirrored her façade. She spared a glance back to Cyborg who had turned to wait for the two and was shouting for them to hurry up. She locked her eyes upon the side of Raven's head, which was unable to focus on her. Terra preferred it that way; she couldn't bear to look the girl in the eyes after what she had done to her.

"Take care of Raven, B.B.," Terra said as she pulled the teen into a hug. Though baffled at first, Beast Boy returned the hug, not wanting to let go. "I know I've hurt all of you, but I know I hurt her the most. Please, promise me you'll watch over her."

"I promise," Beast Boy replied with tightly closed eyes. Terra was the first to release her grip, and as soon as he felt her arms drop, beast Boy did the same, despite the thoughts in his mind to drag the girl with him. Again, the blonde haired girl held the sad smile as she brushed her hair behind her ear.

"You're a good person, Beast Boy, and a great friend," Terra stated firmly. "And I know I can never be forgiven for what I've done."

"I forgive you," Beast Boy shouted in an instant. Terra was taken back at first, but smiled once again as she lowered her view.

"I know how you feel about me, B," Terra said truthfully. "And I'm sorry for all the things I've put you through. Now, get out of here."

Before he could say anything further, Terra ordered the rock Beast Boy stood on back toward the entrance of the cave. Her eyes never left until she saw his retreating back, and she breathed out a sigh.

'_Terra…'_

The blonde didn't have to register a thought to know whose voice had interrupted her thoughts. She smiled, knowing Raven wouldn't allow her to end it without expressing her final thoughts.

'_Terra, please don't do this.'_

"I have to, Raven," Terra explained. "I'm the only one who can stop this from happening."

'_I don't want you to do this. Please, Terra, it can't end this way.'_

Terra was surprised at the emotion the stoic sorceress seemed to give through her telepathy. Even still, Terra was determined.

"Then don't think of this as an end," Terra said as she began to use her powers to levitate the rock toward the center of the large crater where lava began to build. With determination in her eyes, her ruined clothing hanging in shreds from beneath the steal plates, her expression showed that for her, at that very moment, nothing else existed in her world except for the task of keeping the volcano from erupting. Every part of her body began to glow yellow, as the sea of boiling liquid raged all around her. Her head bowed and her eyes shut tightly while her blonde mane rose all around her.

She stood in her motionless battle against the impending destruction, while a column of light shot upward from her body. Finally, she brought her fists up from her side and clenched her teeth soundlessly for the biggest effort of her life. She cried out one final scream, as the energy and lave surged everywhere, and in a blinding white flash, all went silent. Only the last stray thought traveled to the dark mage's mind.

'_Think of this as a new beginning.'_

_**End Part V**_


End file.
